Politik Produksi Ruang Pesisir

Studi Kasus Komersialisasi Kawasan Mawatu di Labuan Bajo dalam Perspektif Henri Lefebvre

Abstract

The commercialization of coastal space in the Mawatu Area, formerly known as Sala Hana Beach, is part of the expansion of tourism investment in Labuan Bajo. This transformation has changed not only the physical landscape but also patterns of spatial use, community access, relations between government and local communities, and the meaning attached to coastal space. This study aims to analyze the politics of coastal space production in the commercialization of the Mawatu Area through government-community relations using Henri Lefebvre's Production of Space perspective. The study employed a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews with nine informants representing local government, village government, coastal communities, traditional leaders, MSME actors, and state institutions, as well as documentation. Data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings show that space production operates through Lefebvre's three dimensions. Spatial practice indicates a shift from use value toward exchange value, affecting fishermen's activities and local economic access. Representations of space reveal the dominant role of spatial planning policies and tourism-development agendas in legitimizing changes in coastal land use. Representational space reveals a contestation of meanings between coastal space as a lived space and space oriented toward investment. Thus, Mawatu's commercialization is a socio-political process that reshapes the function, access, power relations, and meaning of coastal space.