Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026)
Space and Culture, India

Perspective

Analysis of Living Space Dynamics in Precarity: A Case Study of Tailors in Yogyakarta

Published 2026-06-20

  • Nurberlian
    • ,
  • Rika Febriani

Nurberlian
Student, Cultural Anthropology Study Program, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia image/svg+xml

Rika Febriani
Lecturer, Department of Civic Education and Law, Faculty of Social Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia image/svg+xml

Abstract

Precarious work, marked by job insecurity and limited social protection, is a growing concern in rapidly developing Indonesian cities such as Yogyakarta, where tourism expansion and limited formal employment opportunities push many residents into informal labour. This article examines the living-space dynamics of tailors in the Terban area, who operate on land historically owned by the Sultanate and shaped by long-standing informal power structures. Using an ethnographic approach, the study explores how these tailors navigate uncertainty arising from insecure land tenure, fluctuating income, and weak institutional protection. The findings show that although their work aligns with many characteristics of the precariat, the tailors’ collective strategies, particularly their community-based organisation, informal insurance mechanisms, and reciprocal patron-client relations with land custodians, provide alternative forms of stability. Their everyday practices reveal a form of agency that allows them to negotiate with authorities, sustain livelihoods, and shape their social and spatial environment. This study demonstrates that precarity among informal workers is not equal but mediated by local social relations and urban land politics, offering insights into how vulnerability, resilience, and spatial contestation intersect in contemporary urban society in Indonesia.

Keywords

Precarious Work, Patron-Client Relations, Tailor, Sultan Land, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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Author Biography

Nurberlian

Nurberlian is an alumnus of the Cultural Anthropology Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Gadjah Mada (2025). She has been studying in this study programme from 2021 to 2025. Her research interests are: rural anthropology, agrarian ecology and local knowledge. This article is part of her Ethnographic Research Methods assignment in the study programme. She is currently researching shifting cultivation and local knowledge in Majene Regency, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. 

Rika Febriani

Rika Febriani is actively researching issues linked to social problems, culture, and the philosophy of social science.

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