Hegemonic discourse of the cruise industry in balinese society

Abstract

Despite the long hours, hierarchical, and exploitative working conditions in the cruise sector, the rising trend among young Balinese to participate in the sector reflects that working in the cruise industry is not only considered a pathway to economic mobility, but also social prestige and modernity. This study examines how the discourse on the cruise sector is constructed and internalized in Balinese society. This phenomenon was analyzed through a cultural studies approach drawing on Foucaultian theory of power and knowledge. The data was collected through secondary sources, observation, and in-depth interviews with Balinese workers. The findings reveal that the hegemonic knowledge of the cruise sector promoting the idea of cosmopolitan experience, social and economic transformation, and intercultural interaction was constructed and circulated by many actors, such as training institutions, the government, and the workers themselves. These discursive constructions normalize the cruise industry as a prestigious and legitimate pathway to success while masking the unequal power relations and exploitative labor practices within it. This study provides a critical insight into how power operates through the production and internalization of knowledge, sustaining inequality within the transnational labor regime.