The Portrait of Scavengers’ Life (Case Study: Slum of Scavengers at Beji Village, Beji Subdistrict, Depok, West Java, Indonesia)

Abstract

This research has been carried out in the slum of scavengers, at Beji Village, Beji Subdistrict, Depok, West Java. The Objectives of this research are: First, to know the characteristic, family, activity and settle description of scavengers. Second, to analyze the social interaction among scavengers, the social interaction between scavengers and their boss, and with their local community. Third, to know the existing institution among scavengers within its establishment and development process. The method of this research is qualitative approach that supported by case study technic consisting of in depth interview to focus on some cases, limited observation, and document analysis. Five families or nine scavengers have been selected as the representative cases of this research by purposing after determining spesific criteria in terms of this. The result of this research shows that there are several particular characteristics which reflected scavengers’ proffession. The pattern of social interaction among scavengers and their friends, scavengers and their boss have been running well. The scavengers have rarely social interaction to their local community in their surrounding slum based on this research. It is caused by their ashamedness to interact with the local community. The institution which related with the existence of scavengers is deemed to be important as one of the way for fulfilling their ultimate of life. The regulation concerned to the scavengers is initiated from interaction process among them till attain a collective agreement.