Disaster history as a reflection of human–environment relations: An ecological approach to disaster studies in Indonesia

¹ Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia
² Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

^* Corresponding author: yennynarny@hum.unand.ac.id

Abstract

This study assesses disaster history in Indonesia through the lens of human-nature relations, as understood within the framework of cultural ecology. This research examines how cultural relationships with nature reshape disaster history over time and what emerges as a more eco-conscious perspective on disaster history. This is a comprehensive, qualitative, library-based research assessment of historical, ethnographic, and ecological observations to validate regionally specific narratives of disaster history across the geographically disparate islands. Findings reveal that diverse and intricate populations possess traditional environmental knowledge that positions them in phases of disaster history, requiring either adaptive or ethically motivated responses. For instance, Smong in Simeulue, Subak in Bali, and Sedekah Bumi in Java revere nature to harmonious, spiritual, or ecological ethical ends, cultivating sustainable community resilience over integrative pattern of history. However, findings suggest that these patterns fluctuate in more developed settings with modernization. By contrast, they occur at an alarming rate as populations distance themselves from an ecocentric worldview to a more anthropocentric appreciation, precipitating the swift destruction of ecosystems and anthropogenic disasters. Ultimately, the findings suggest that without local, educated know-how coupled with scientifically substantiated best practices, sustainable, eco-conscious, and culturally relevant approaches to disaster prevention do not exist. To appreciate disaster history, people must respect the shared mutual benefit history with the environment.