POWER RELATIONS AMONG CULTURAL ELITES IN THE 2024 REGIONAL HEAD ELECTION IN BONE REGENCY

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the power relations of cultural elites in the 2024 regional head elections in Bone Regency. The method used is a qualitative approach with a constructivist paradigm. Data collection techniques include in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation studies. The results show that cultural elites, including local aristocrats, traditional leaders, and charismatic clerics, play a significant role in gaining public support through the use of symbolic, cultural, and religious capital. Public support for cultural elites as regional head candidates is based not only on rational considerations related to work programs but also on cultural loyalty and the values of siri' na pacce (a sense of belonging) rooted in the social structure of Bone society. This power relationship operates through the mechanism of cultural patronage, in which elites mobilize the masses through the distribution of symbolic and economic resources, while candidates provide political rewards in the form of recognition, respect, and economic access to the elites. These findings confirm Michel Foucault's theory of productive and relational power, in which the power of cultural elites operates through customary and religious legitimacy, creating voluntarily submissive political subjects. This study concludes that the power relations of cultural elites in the 2024 Bone regional elections have reproduced traditional social structures and strengthened local oligarchies. Therefore, critical political education and strengthening the capacity of civil society are needed to promote a more inclusive and substantive local democracy.