Pola Perubahan Sosiobudaya dan Mobiliti Sosial dalam Kalangan Komuniti Muara di Pantai Timur Semenanjung Malaysia (Sociocultural Change and Social Mobility among Estuarial Communities in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia)

Abstract

Persoalan perubahan sosiobudaya dan mobiliti sosial komuniti muara adalah satu persoalan penting dalam keseluruhan kajian mengenai perubahan sosial. Dalam dua dekad lebih ini, proses modenisasi berkembang pesat dan memberi kesan mendalam ke atas komuniti ini. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji isu berkaitan perubahan sosiobudaya dan mobiliti sosial komuniti muara di Pantai Timur Semenanjung Malaysia. Kaedah tinjauan ke atas 596 orang responden, temu bual dan pemerhatian telah dijalankan keatas 6 buah perkampungan nelayan di muara sungai yang terletak di Kelantan, Terengganu dan Pahang. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan aspek sosiobudaya melalui aktiviti kejiranan dalam komuniti muara masih kuat dan menjadi amalan tradisi. Mobiliti sosial melalui jenis pekerjaan juga telah berubah, iaitu pekerjaan sebagai nelayan untuk sumber pendapatan ekonomi utama telah beransur-ansur kurang menarik minat generasi muda. Kebanyakan generasi muda lebih berminat bekerja di darat berbanding menjadikan lautan sebagai sumber rezeki. Keadaan komuniti semakin terbuka memungkinkan berlakunya mobiliti sosial dalam kalangan generasi muda. Transformasi komuniti muara berdasarkan kepada aspek pendidikan dialami oleh empat generasi dikaji sama ada generasi datuk, bapa, responden dan anak. Bermula pada zaman sebelum merdeka, pasca merdeka dan menjelang abad ke-21 ‘tangga’ mobiliti berdasarkan tahap pendidikan semakin diakui kepentingannya oleh komuniti muara sebagai syarat utama untuk mengecapi kehidupan yang lebih baik.

Kata kunci: Perubahan sosiobudaya; mobiliti sosial; perubahan sosial; komuniti muara; komuniti nelayan

ABSTRACT

The issue of sociocultural change and social mobility among the estuarial communities is an important topic in the overall research on social change. Over the past two decades, the process of modernisation has rapidly taken place and impacted the communities significantly. This study aims to examine the issues regarding sociocultural change and the social mobility of the estuarial communities in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. A survey was conducted on 596 respondents, where interviews and observations were carried out in 6 fishing villages in the estuaries located in Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang. The research findings show that the sociocultural aspects seen through neighbourhood activities in the estuarial communities are still being held on to strongly and have become a practice of tradition. Social mobility through types of occupation has also changed, whereby working as a fisherman as the main source of income has gradually become less appealing to the younger generations. Youths of the younger generation are more inclined to work on land. The more open nature of the communities makes it more likely for social mobility to occur among the younger generation. The transformation of the estuarial communities due to education, as experienced by four generations, is examined in terms of the grandfather, the father, the respondent, and his child. Since the era of pre-independence, post-independence and upon the advent of the 21^st century, ‘steps’ of mobility based on the level of education has increasingly been acknowledged by the estuarial communities as a main condition to lead a better life.

Keywords: Sociocultural change; social mobility; social change; estuarial communities; fishing community