LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES AND FORMATION OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: EXPRIENCE FROM MALAYSIA

Abstract

This paper focuses on the livelihood subsistence strategies used by group of Research object who moved from Brunei to Malaysia in the early 19th century. This study seeks to answer two key questions. First, what type of livelihood subsistence strategies that are used by this group to survive? Second, how the livelihood subsistence strategies influenced and form new type of social and economic stratifications in the group that are considered as ‘egalitarians’. Using ethnographic techniques, data in this study were collected from in-depth interviews and participation observation which took 18 months to complete. The study found that there is a slight change in the aspect of subsistence strategy which is due to market forces and the virtues of capitalism. This community has diversified subsistence to balance the pressure of market forces. The study also revealed that factors such as income and property ownership have developed social and economic stratification into several classes based on source of income and ownership of production. Objective criteria such as income, and sources of primary production such as land, make it critical value in this society. Competition for means of production has created conflict of ownership and thus sparks competition in other aspects such as the position and power. This explains that in a small community social and economic stratification exists and their competition for limited resources make them diversifies their livelihood systems.

Keywords

• Livelihood strategy, Social stratification, Peasant economics

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