Narrating Insularity: Political Ecology and the Communicative Politics of Surf Tourism in the Mentawai Archipelago

Abstract

This research explores how the idea of insularity in the Mentawai Archipelago is formed and disseminated via prevailing narratives in the global surf tourism sector. Rooted in Political Ecology and drawing on the critical insights of David Harvey, Bruno Latour, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, the study contextualizes surf tourism within wider mechanisms of neoliberal accumulation, socio-material formations, and postcolonial depiction. It contends that tourism growth in Mentawai functions not merely as an economic enterprise but also as a narrative tool that transforms access, governance, and appreciation of coastal ecosystems and Indigenous cultural realities. Methodologically, the research utilizes a qualitative interdisciplinary framework that merges critical discourse analysis of global surf media (2015-2025), ethnographic mapping of Mentawai traditional narratives, and an extensive literature review on tourism advancement and environmental governance. The results indicate that worldwide media portrayals depict Mentawai as a distant and untouched “surf frontier”, frequently disregarding Indigenous environmental care while reducing intricate socioecological contexts to appealing images of adventure and exoticness. The research reveals a basic socioecological conflict. Although surf tourism contributes to economic development and international recognition, it also leads to coral reef damage, the commodification of culture, and significant economic leakage due to enclave-centered tourism structures. Even with rising numbers of tourists, local communities still face restricted economic gains and ongoing inequality. These dynamics illustrate wider processes of accumulation through dispossession and unequal growth within neoliberal tourism economies. The research finds that attaining more sustainable and fair tourism in Mentawai demands not just environmental stewardship but also the decolonization of tourism stories, incorporation of Indigenous wisdom, and the reorganization of economic relationships in the tourism framework.