{"id":9671,"date":"2025-11-03T08:25:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T00:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ias.ubd.edu.bn\/?p=9671"},"modified":"2025-11-07T08:11:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T00:11:40","slug":"working-paper-on-mobility-inequality-and-identity-among-the-lun-bawang-in-the-sarawak-north-kalimantan-borderland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ias.ubd.edu.bn\/?p=9671","title":{"rendered":"Working Paper on Mobility, Inequality, and Identity among the Lun Bawang in the Sarawak-North Kalimantan Borderland"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No. 88: Mobility, Inequality, and Identity among the Lun Bawang in the Sarawak-North Kalimantan Borderland<\/strong><\/em> by Chun Sheng Goh<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>

Please see below for details.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload the Working Paper<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Abstract:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Heart of Borneo, the Lun Bawang people are divided by the Malaysia\u2013Indonesia boundary, resulting in distinct but interconnected migration patterns. This note discusses how internal migration within Malaysian Sarawak and cross-border movement from Indonesian North Kalimantan intersect to shape inequality and identity. Rural depopulation in Sarawak\u2019s uplands has left aging communities and threatens traditional livelihoods and cultural preservation. Meanwhile, persistent underdevelopment in North Kalimantan drives many Lun Bawang to seek work in Malaysia, driving cross-border labour flows. These dynamics create an asymmetric interdependence: Indonesian workers fill labour shortages in Sarawak but remain vulnerable in informal roles, while Sarawak\u2019s Lun Bawang depend on this labour yet are wary of a permanent Indonesian presence. Divergent demographic trajectories have emerged: Sarawak\u2019s Lun Bawang villages shrink and age, whereas communities in North Kalimantan remain youthful, bolstered by in-migration, fuelling tensions over land ownership and resources. Ultimately, a colonial-era border has produced contrasting opportunities and national identities that override shared ethnicity, complicating notions of belonging. Overall, the interplay of internal and cross-border migration reinforces inequality while offering new livelihoods, highlighting the complex links between mobility, development, and identity in this borderland.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chun Sheng (C.S.) Goh<\/strong> is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. His research explores the social, environmental, and economic transformations that have shaped – and continue to shape – Borneo over time, with a special interest in land use and energy transitions. Over the years, he has gained practical field experience across various parts of Borneo with exposure to academia, government, and international work. A notable publication is the monograph Transforming Borneo: From Land Exploitation to Sustainable Development (ISEAS Yusof-Ishak) co-authored with Lesley Potter. He is currently working on the edited volume Energy Transition in Southeast Asia: Transregional Trade and Investment (Springer) with Guanie Lim and Angela Tritto.<\/p>\n

Contact: chunsheng.goh@ubd.edu.bn<\/a><\/p>\n

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To see more IAS Working Papers, please visit the IAS Working Papers web page<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No. 88: Mobility, Inequality, and Identity among the Lun Bawang in the Sarawak-North Kalimantan Borderland by Chun Sheng Goh.\u00a0 Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper Abstract: In the Heart of Borneo, the Lun 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