Orang Rantai, Mbah Soero, and the Moral Politics of Labor in the Ombilin Coal Mines

Colonial labor classifications in the Ombilin coal mines, particularly the term 'orang rantai' (chained laborers), were not neutral but served to legitimize coercive labor practices within a broader system of extraction. This study reveals how these classifications obscured the political and social contexts of forced labor while simultaneously shaping collective memory around figures like Mbah Soero, who came to symbolize ethical leadership rooted in solidarity. Through qualitative historical analysis—including scholarly literature, institutional heritage documents, and public narratives—the research challenges simplistic interpretations of colonial labor history by intertwining coercion, memory, and moral politics. Rather than reconstructing individual experiences, it offers an interpretive framework that recontextualizes the Ombilin mines as a site where legal labels, power dynamics, and ethical resistance converged.

Nadiyah, K., & Hidayat, M. S. (2026). Orang Rantai, Mbah Soero, and the Moral Politics of Labor in the Ombilin Coal Mines. Analisis Sejarah: Mencari Jalan Sejarah, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.25077/jas.v16i2.177