What is it about?
This visual essay explores how heavy reliance on coal mining and palm oil in East Kalimantan affects local environments and community health. Using photographs taken during fieldwork in 2023, it shows how forests are replaced by plantations and mining sites, leading to pollution, water contamination, and more frequent flooding. These changes make it harder for local communities, including Indigenous Dayak people, to access clean water and maintain their wellbeing. The images highlight how economic development can also bring hidden costs. By sharing these visual stories, the study encourages broader awareness and discussion about balancing development with environmental and community health.
Featured Image
Photo by Fiqih Alfarish on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Combines visual storytelling with autophotography to reveal how resource extraction shapes everyday life, health, and environments in East Kalimantan. Offers a rare local and Indigenous-informed perspective on the “resource curse,” making complex issues visible and relatable. Timely amid global debates on sustainability, it can broaden engagement beyond academia and spark critical discussion.
Perspectives
As someone from East Kalimantan, I use photography to reflect on the changes I have witnessed firsthand. This work is both personal and critical, capturing everyday realities of resource extraction while amplifying local voices. It is my way of sharing lived experiences and encouraging more inclusive conversations about development and health.
Dr Juhri Selamet
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A visual exploration of resource curse in East Kalimantan, Visual Studies, May 2024, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/1472586x.2024.2345157.
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