Bond of Solidarity as a Survival Strategy of Scavengers Community in Surabaya City

Social solidarity is one of togetherness relationship among individuals or groups based on the moral feelings and beliefs embraced together and strengthened by shared emotional experience. Solidarity is divided into two sections, namely: mechanical and organic solidarities. Mechanical solidarity is the bond uniting the individuals with the high collective awareness so that they resemble one another, while organic solidarity is marked by the higher heterogeneity and individuality that the individuals differ from one another. The research was aimed to study the theory of solidarity of Emile Durkheim through the solidarity found in the scavenger community in an effort of survival. In this study the solidarity in the scavenger community was investigated through a communication approach because the solidarity bond was based on the interaction among individuals, and communication was used as a means of interaction, and the interaction among them resulted in the form of a communication network. Because of that the bond of solidarity was observed through the elements of communication network of the communication partners, communication relationship proxinity, the direction and style of communication, and communication frequency. Based on the findings in the research area of Final Disposal (AFD) Njawar, it could be seen that the presence of both mechanical and organic solidarities was found through the communication network approach. The bond of mechanical solidarity was closely related to the capability of the scavengers in addressing the issues or problems associated with the entertainment and health (secondary needs). While the bond of organic solidarity was related to the fulfillment of the primary needs of the scavengers focued on overcoming the problems of the employment. In terms of addressing the problems of the employment, the direction and style of one-way communication, and the communication pattern of patron and client, where the scavenger was highly dependent on the collector leading to the subtle exploitation, were implemented. In addition, the competition among scavengers and among collectors themselves led to a conflict that would eliminate their collective awareness in matters related to the work as scavengers and the fulfillment of the primary needs. The solidarity theory conveyed by Emile Durkheim described that "in the organic solidarity, in spite of the division of work, the collective awareness could not be destroyed wholly and could not be applied in the scavenger community with the style of patron and client communication.