Reclaiming Spaces from the Margins

Faza Siddiq — Fri, 22 May 2026 09:12:51 +0700

This article explores the social production of participatory spaces, its effect on the participatory mechanisms, and how marginalised groups could reshape these spaces to claim their rights. The issue of housing the poor in Indonesia has rarely been a participatory process and is dominated by state-led evictions and government-controlled public housing. A recent initiative proposed by urban poor social movements, termed kampung susun attempted to shift decision-making and empower the marginalised. Despite early successful attempts, not all have managed to deliver changes smoothly. This article aims to investigate how these spaces of participation could fail to achieve transformative results and what kinds of opportunities exist for reclaiming decisive participation. The study argues that existing power relations and prevailing political culture of the local bureaucracy, state-owned company, and even within the urban poor hinders attempts at delivering the desired outcome for the movement. Nevertheless, avenues of reshaping spaces still exist through electoral institutions and the act of creating their own spaces of engagement.

Algorithmic Governmentality and the Construction of Political Truth

Athira Zahroh Firdausi Ramadhani — Fri, 22 May 2026 09:14:56 +0700

The shift in political campaigning style ahead of the 2024 election has been largely driven by technological advancements. Candidates increasingly utilised social media, particularly TikTok, to attract the attention of Gen Z and Millennial voters. This study aims to examine how the TikTok algorithm functioned as a political marketing strategy for the Prabowo–Gibran pair and to analyse the power relations embedded within their digital campaign. Employing a qualitative methodology the research uses content analysis techniques underpinned by Michel Foucault’s perspective on discourse theory. Were gathered through a literature review and observation of TikTok content. While content analysis identifies specific campaign patterns and strategies, the Foucauldian lens reveals the power relations operating within algorithmic mechanisms. The findings demonstrate that the Prabowo–Gibran campaign used the ‘gemoy’ dance, viral jingles, and AI-generated cartoons to engage young voters. Through discourse practices that shape a new ‘regime of truth’, the ‘reversal to real’ strategy successfully transformed Prabowo’s public persona from a stern military figure into a populist one. Furthermore, the power relations within Jokowi’s political network were widely disseminated via TikTok, with algorithms serving as a ‘technology of power’ that governed voter preferences and contributes to the pair’s victory.

PCD Journal

Reclaiming Spaces from the Margins

Algorithmic Governmentality and the Construction of Political Truth