The untold flavour of street food: Social infrastructure as a means of everyday politics for street vendors in Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

The existing literature on street vendors has largely examined processes of marginalisation of informal enterprises amid rapid urban development. At the same time, the resistance methods of street vendors against the constraints of urban development have been extensively explored. However, these studies tend to focus on the binary position between informal and formal, as well as on the overt confrontation and conflicts between vendors and the state, which risks simplifying the heterogeneity of interests in the everyday practice of street vending. Delving into the daily work of street vendors in Bandung city, this article explores the everyday practice of traders in order to identify their subtle forms of resistance to removal and to the negative perceptions attached to them. By adopting the analytics of ‘people as infrastructure’ (Simone, 2004) and the idea of ‘building blocks of success’ for small enterprises (Turner, 2003), this article argues that social infrastructure is constituted and practiced through the construction of personal relationships and varied forms of informal economic exchange between vendors and their customers, informal organisers and neighbours, as well as through the adoption of new technology. Social infrastructures have become a means of building everyday politics for street vendors and a vital way of challenging the negative perception attached to street vending activities.

The Dynamics of Consumer Psychology of Street Food Transformation and Preferences in Indonesia: Systematic Literature Review

“…Street-food juga sering menjadi tujuan wisata kuliner di berbagai kota dan negara. Wisatawan dari luar negeri sering mencari pengalaman mencicipi hidangan lokal yang autentik (Malasan, 2019).…”

“Show them how they treat us”: Legal violence in the everyday lives of street vendors

“…Legal violence related to street vending has been the subject of studies in anthropology, sociology, and geography, where scholars (Forkuor et al 2017 ; Galemba 2008 ; Hummel 2017 ; Malasan 2019 ; Vargas and Urinboyev 2015 ) note how laws criminalize street vendors and how street vendors mobilize to thwart legislation and law enforcement (Bhimji 2010 ; Carroll et al 2016 ; Muñoz 2008 ; Zlolniski 2006 ). However, the impacts of criminalization are not limited to formal prosecution; scholars note how encounters with law enforcement commonly involve seizure and confiscation of vendors’ property (Cross and Morales 2013 ; Estrada 2013 , 2019 ; Kettles 2004 ; Morales and Kettles 2009 ; Rosales 2012 , 2013 , 2020 ).…”

“…Much of the pain that MariPosa describes in her childhood stems from how LA created punitive policies to fine, arrest, and incarcerate the most marginalized workers in the city, who were overwhelmingly women, undocumented, elderly, and disabled. Mother and daughter Rosa and MariPosa were forcibly separated because of a legal system that normalizes punitive practices that equate street vendors to violent criminals (Forkuor et al 2017 ; Galemba 2008 ; Hummel 2017 ; Malasan 2019 ; Vargas and Urinboyev 2015 ).…”

“…Much of the street-vending scholarship focuses on a dichotomous point of contention of the state versus street vendors (Bhimji 2010 ; Crossa 2009 ; Forkuor et al 2017 ; Galemba 2008 ; Hummel 2017 ; Hunt 2009 ; Malasan 2019 ; Setšabi and Leduka 2008 ; Vargas and Urinboyev 2015 ). Scholars have looked at how street vendors are pitted against gourmet food trucks and brick-and-mortar businesses, with those two receiving a favorable reception and differential regulation than street vending (Martin 2014 ) and how members of neighborhood associations participate in vigilantism against street vendors (Muñiz 2011 ).…”

Vernacular Governance Dan Pengaruhnya Terhadap Pola Spasial Kaki Lima Di Kemayoran

“…Umumnya, pedagang kaki lima akan selalu dihadapkan pada praktik dan proses formalisasi, seperti adanya penggusuran maupun relokasi. Hayat (2012) dan Malasan (2019) sepakat bahwasanya modal sosial cukup diperlukan oleh para pelaku usaha sebagai bagian dari strategi bertahan hidup dan menyelamatkan diri dari praktik formalisasi. Berdasarkan sumber yang saya peroleh, modal sosial ini juga dimiliki oleh para pelaku usaha di pasar malam Kemayoran kuadran A. Modal sosial yang dimaksud dalam hal ini adalah kedekatan yang dibangun oleh pelaku usaha dengan ormas tertentu yang 'menguasai' area lapak, kedekatan yang terjalin antara ormas dan tokoh masyarakat tertentu (yang dalam kasus ini selanjutnya lebih banyak berperan sebagai negosiator), serta oknum dari otoritas setempat.…”