Patron-Client Relationships and Transformative Capacity: A Case Study of Bajau Fishers in Wakatobi, Indonesia's Response to Climate Change

In: Journal of Marine and Island Cultures, Volume 12, Issue 3

Abstract

In the absence of formal governance, the patron-client relationships have become a common internal dynamic among tropical fishing communities. Earlier research examined the numerous benefits exchanged between fishers and patrons, as well as their socioeconomic and environmental implications. Most of the research, however, emphasized a place-based perspective that focused on middlemen as the key patrons and only revealed the importance of relationships in fisheries and disaster management. This study explores the potential role of diverse patron-client relationships in the transformative capacity of Sama-Bajau fishers to the impacts and risks of climate change. Wangi-Wangi Island of Wakatobi was selected as the site of an exploratory qualitative case study involving 14 fishers and six different patrons living in and outside the locality of the fishers. The study collected and analysed data through in-depth interviews, informal conversations, field observation, and secondary sources. Findings indicate that fishers who collaborate with a variety of patrons residing within and outside their localities can reduce power disparities in their fishing activities. As a result, they could develop a transformative capacity to manage the impacts and potential risks of climate change. Future research should examine diverse patrons' role in developing the social resilience of fishing individuals, households, and communities.