Economic Pressure and Social Deviance in Illegal Tin Mining at Kolong Buntu, Sungailiat, Bangka Regency: A Qualitative Case Study Based on Merton’s Anomie Theory

Abstract

This study examines economic pressure and social deviance in illegal tin mining at Kolong Buntu, Sungailiat, Bangka Regency, through Robert K. Merton’s Anomie Theory. This study used a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected through interviews with 16 informants, comprising five miners, four residents, two community leaders, three local government or village officials, and two law enforcement officers, supplemented by field observations and document analysis. The findings show that miners’ involvement was linked to income instability, limited access to legal employment, and the need to secure immediate earnings. Illegal mining operated through an informal network involving field miners, managers or coordinators, equipment controllers, and tin buyers or collectors. Field observations identified water turbidity, mud accumulation, damage to pit margins and vegetation, and machinery noise. Enforcement measures did not fully prevent recurring activities because managerial and buyer networks, worker replacement, adaptive operating patterns, and limited surveillance continued to sustain illegal mining opportunities. From an anomie perspective, innovation more adequately explains economically vulnerable workers with limited access to legitimate means than controlling actors with greater resources and market access.