This paper scrutinizes class dynamics of agrarian change in rural Java. Updating the literature of agrarian change on the island in the 21st century, the study shows how the agrarian ruling class (capitalist farmers and landlords) and classes of labour in contemporary rural Java negotiate over wages and working conditions, mediated by a local institution called a “village meeting.” Apart from dominating the agrarian landscape, capitalist farmers and landlords also occupy powerful positions in non-agricultural spheres of village life and make themselves “the masters of the countryside.” The discussion on the struggle between the masters of the countryside and their enemies in the classes of labour offers a new understanding of how agricultural wages and working conditions are adjusted in Java. Our study of a Javanese village also highlights the importance of exploring the complexity of class location to understand the nature of class relations. Looking at both class location and class relations in a single analysis offers a fuller understanding of the class dynamics of agrarian change.

中文翻译：

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农村的主人和他们的敌人：爪哇农村土地变迁的阶级动态

本文仔细研究了爪哇农村土地变化的阶级动态。该研究更新了 21 世纪岛上土地变化的文献，展示了当代爪哇农村的农业统治阶级（资本主义农民和地主）和劳动阶级如何在当地一个名为 a 的机构的调解下就工资和工作条件进行谈判“村会。” 资本主义农民和地主除了主宰农业景观外，还在农村生活的非农业领域占据重要地位，使自己成为“农村的主人”。农村主人和他们在劳动阶级中的敌人之间的斗争的讨论提供了对爪哇农业工资和工作条件如何调整的新理解。我们对爪哇村庄的研究也强调了探索阶级位置的复杂性以了解阶级关系本质的重要性。在单一分析中查看阶级位置和阶级关系，可以更全面地了解农业变化的阶级动态。