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Legacy and transformation: The enduring socioeconomic impact of Colonial railway infrastructure in contemporary Bogor

Socio Politica : Jurnal Ilmiah Jurusan Sosiologi · Vol. 15 No. 2 (2025) · pp. 239–252

DOI
10.15575/socio-politica.v15i2.45651
ISSN
2654-7694, 2302-1888
Published
2025-08-04
Publisher
Prodi Magister Sosiologi UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung
Language
eng
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

Abstract

This study aims to historically examine the construction of the Bogor–Jakarta railway line during the Dutch colonial period between 1900 and 1930 and its impact on the socio-economic transformation of the local community. Utilizing a historical methodology encompassing heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography, the research draws on secondary literature and colonial archival records as its primary sources. The findings reveal that the railway's development was driven not only by economic interests in plantation logistics but also by military and administrative objectives to exert control over colonial territories. The railway functioned as a critical infrastructure for commodity export while also enhancing territorial connectivity, yet it simultaneously reinforced social disparities between the colonial elites and the indigenous population. The analysis demonstrates that, although the railway system improved the efficiency of people and goods mobility, it also operated as a tool of exclusion, discrimination, and centralized control. It accelerated regional economic growth but marginalized local participation in the developmental process. The study concludes that colonial infrastructure, such as the Bogor–Jakarta railway, represents an ambivalent legacy: it facilitated modernization while perpetuating inequality. This research contributes an interdisciplinary perspective that combines historical analysis with local economic development insights, offering a comprehensive understanding of how colonial transportation systems continue to influence mobility patterns and economic structures in the present day. It also provides a reflective basis for formulating transportation policies that are inclusive and historically informed. Contribution: By combining historical methodology with local economic development insights, the study offers a nuanced understanding of how colonial transportation infrastructure shaped socio-economic transformations and mobility patterns.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

40 authors · 156 co-authorship links · showing the 40 most connected

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  • Sebelas Maret University
  • Affiliation unknown
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Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Deri SugiartoAffiliation unknown8
Asep Achmad HidayatAffiliation unknown6
Dandie HambalianaAffiliation unknown5
Ajid HakimAffiliation unknown4
Usman SupendiAffiliation unknown4
Dedi SupriadiAffiliation unknown3
M Zikril Oksa PutraAffiliation unknown3
Putri Lailatus Sa’adahAffiliation unknown2
Satya Adilaga SuwandaAffiliation unknown2
Abdul AzizSebelas Maret University2
Arba'iyah Mohd NoorAffiliation unknown2
Zaenur RoficAffiliation unknown2
Riyan Haqi Khoerul AnwarAffiliation unknown2
Marisa Jahra SalsabilaAffiliation unknown2
Mutiara Khansa SyakiraAffiliation unknown2
Ilham MaulanaAffiliation unknown1
M. Zikril Oksa PutraAffiliation unknown1
Rika DilawatiAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad Kautsar Thariq SyahAffiliation unknown1
M Kautsar Thariqq SyahAffiliation unknown1
Syahidah Qolbiya SakinahAffiliation unknown1
Zaahidah Aufaa AhdillahAffiliation unknown1
Paelani SetiaAffiliation unknown1
M Fikri ArsyadAffiliation unknown1
Syahidah Qolbiya SakinahAffiliation unknown1
Wawan HernawanAffiliation unknown1
Ading KusdianaAffiliation unknown1
Salman NajmudinAffiliation unknown1
Muhamad Zaky AvicenaAffiliation unknown1
Mulyanudin MulyanudinAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad Al HafidzAffiliation unknown1
Rian Ananda PutraAffiliation unknown1
Haris PriyatnaAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad Kautsar Thariq SyahAffiliation unknown1
Muhammad Hafiy Bin Abdul RashidAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/socio-politica/oai, first harvested 7 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en-US">Legacy and transformation: The enduring socioeconomic impact of Colonial railway infrastructure in contemporary Bogor</dc:title>
	<dc:creator>Syah, M Kautsar Thariq</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Sa'adah, Putri Lailatus</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Nurcahya, Yan</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Suprianto, Sopian</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator>Sufriadi, Dedi</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">colonial discrimination</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">Economic development</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">Infrastructure development</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">railway line</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en-US">transport history</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en-US">This study aims to historically examine the construction of the Bogor–Jakarta railway line during the Dutch colonial period between 1900 and 1930 and its impact on the socio-economic transformation of the local community. Utilizing a historical methodology encompassing heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography, the research draws on secondary literature and colonial archival records as its primary sources. The findings reveal that the railway's development was driven not only by economic interests in plantation logistics but also by military and administrative objectives to exert control over colonial territories. The railway functioned as a critical infrastructure for commodity export while also enhancing territorial connectivity, yet it simultaneously reinforced social disparities between the colonial elites and the indigenous population. The analysis demonstrates that, although the railway system improved the efficiency of people and goods mobility, it also operated as a tool of exclusion, discrimination, and centralized control. It accelerated regional economic growth but marginalized local participation in the developmental process. The study concludes that colonial infrastructure, such as the Bogor–Jakarta railway, represents an ambivalent legacy: it facilitated modernization while perpetuating inequality. This research contributes an interdisciplinary perspective that combines historical analysis with local economic development insights, offering a comprehensive understanding of how colonial transportation systems continue to influence mobility patterns and economic structures in the present day. It also provides a reflective basis for formulating transportation policies that are inclusive and historically informed.
Contribution: By combining historical methodology with local economic development insights, the study offers a nuanced understanding of how colonial transportation infrastructure shaped socio-economic transformations and mobility patterns.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en-US">Prodi Magister Sosiologi UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2025-08-04</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:type xml:lang="en-US">Peer-reviewed Article</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/socio-politica/article/view/45651</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.15575/socio-politica.v15i2.45651</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en-US">Socio Politica : Jurnal Ilmiah Jurusan Sosiologi; Vol. 15 No. 2 (2025): Jurnal Socio-Politica; 239-252</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2654-7694</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2302-1888</dc:source>
	<dc:language>eng</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/socio-politica/article/view/45651/14965</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">Copyright (c) 2025 M Kautsar Thariq Syah, Putri Lailatus Sa'adah, Yan Nurcahya, Sopian Suprianto, Dedi Sufriadi</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en-US">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>