Negosiasi Politik Perbatasan dan Kehidupan Masyarakat di Kepulauan Talaud

Abstract

The Talaud Islands are Indonesia's outermost border area that borders directly with the Philippines and has a strategic position in the maritime network of the Sulawesi Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In the context of border societies, the sea not only functions as the territorial boundary of the country, but also as a social, economic, cultural, and historical space that plays a role in the formation of community identity. This study aims to analyze the relationship between marine space, community identity, and the dynamics of boundary negotiations that take place in the Talaud Islands. The research uses a qualitative approach with a literature study method. Data were obtained from various scientific sources that discuss border communities, maritime culture, Indonesia-Philippines cross-border relations, and border development. The results of the study show that the identity of the Talaud people was formed through a long interaction with the marine space that had taken place before the formation of modern state borders. Geographical proximity to the Philippines gave birth to a network of kinship, trade, population mobility, and cultural exchange that formed cross-border identities. In daily life, people view the sea as a connecting space, while the state interprets it as a sovereign space that must be supervised. These differences in perspectives gave rise to the ongoing boundary negotiation process. In addition, border policies such as the Border Crossing Agreement (BCA) and the Border Trade Agreement (BTA) have not fully accommodated the socio economic dynamics of the society that continues to develop. This study concludes that the border in the Talaud Islands is a negotiation space that brings together maritime identity, state interests, and community life strategies. The sea is a central element in the formation of identity and the sustainability of the socio-economic life of border communities.