Policy and Actors: Discourse and Cultural Repertoire in a Resettlement Project

This thesis uses anthropological lens to explore the interplay between actor and policy. An ethnographic research was conducted based on a local development case study that involves the relocation of native communities in Borneo. Using a combination method of desk study, participant observation and ethnographic interviews, the study revealed how both project developers and beneficiaries showed cultural proficiency in project-related contestation. The main developer showed how it defined and protect its quest for modernity, while the beneficiary communities displayed ingenuity in expressing their interpretation towards the project that affected their livelihoods.