Myth as Social Control in Rural Communities

This study highlights the role of local cultural narratives, such as myths, as nonformal mechanisms of social control that continue to operate effectively within rural communities in Indonesia. Despite their significance, these phenomena are frequently overlooked in Western criminological scholarship, which tends to prioritize formal legal rationalism and state-centered positivist approaches. This study seeks to address this gap by examining how myths function as regulatory devices that shape moral consciousness, guide behavior, and maintain social order without the direct involvement of penal institutions. Employing an exploratory qualitative design with an interpretive-constructive ethnographic approach, the study finds that mechanisms of social control in rural communities are not solely determined by formal legal structures but are sustained by networks of cultural knowledge that are transmitted and internalized across generations. Myths serve as normative instruments that convey moral messages, define behavioral boundaries, and cultivate collective vigilance, thereby promoting sustainable social stability. These findings underscore the need for a cultural moral crime prevention framework as an alternative model of social control and a more contextualized approach to criminal policy formulation, particularly in rural communities that continue to be grounded in local cultural intelligence.