<最終講義>パサールのくらし : 「インフォーマル・セクター」としてのパサール
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概要
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The pasar (market) is an intriguing place. Arriving in the country, many foreign visitors frequently go first to visit the pasar to watch the people buying and selling the local products in their indigenous language. Even a stranger can appreciate the cultural atmosphere. It is my own fascination with life in the pasar that has been the catalyst for my research. The characteristics of the pasar vendor are long working hours, the pursuit of profits through the use of a flexible price, and the lack of long term economic security. From my fieldwork at the Pasar Kemiri in Depok, West Java, Indonesia, I found that the vendors conduct their business by relying upon their own efforts. They make full use of their time, their personal wealth, and of their social relationships. If they are unable to work, they have no alternate source of income. Their well being appears to be at the mercy of chance. There are those who do prosper in the pasar. However, profits are usually small for the majority. They normally live from hand to mouth, and lack the means to expand their business. es. The nature of their economic activities in the pasar can be best described by the term, "informal sector". Demonstrated by their efforts to expand their customer base and to acquire lower cost inventory, the pasar vendor seeks to avoid both the "shared poverty" and the "urban involution". Indeed, they work with determination to achieve a profit, in spite of the harsh economic environment, and the traditional sense of value standards. It is, therefore, not realistic to insist only on a "non-economic" explanation, such as adherence to the tradition of the community and the traditional sense of value standards, to explain their efforts to obtain customers. Such actions should be observed as a unique strategy of the pasar vendor himself, from a regular "economic" point of view. Through their attempt to retain a customer base, to keep the everyday business running and to eke out a profit by reducing the cost of goods, one can see the real thinking of the pasar vendors that I discussed in my brief research.
- 1999-12-27