The representation of children in Garin Nugroho’s films

The image of the child has always been used for ideological purposes in national cinemas around the world. For instance, in Iranian cinema representations of children are often utilized to minimise the political risk involved in making radical statements, while in Brazilian and Italian cinemas children’s portrayal has disputed the idealized concept of childhood’s innocence. In Indonesian cinema, internationally acclaimed director Garin Nugroho is the only filmmaker who has presented children as the main focus of narratives that are oppositional to mainstream and state-sponsored ideologies. Yet, even though his films have been critically identified as key, breakthrough works in Indonesian cinema, no research so far has specifically focused on the representation of children in his films.Consequently, because Garin Nugroho has consistently placed child characters in central roles in his films, the discussion in this thesis focuses on the ideological and discursive implications of his cinematic depiction of children. With the central question regarding the construction of children’s identities in Garin’s films, the thesis analyzes in detail four of these films, dedicating an entire chapter to each one of them, and with the last one being specifically addressed in cinematic essay form. The films discussed are Surat untuk Bidadari (Letter to an Angel, 1993), Aku Ingin Menciummu Sekali Saja (2000), Rindu Kami Padamu (Of Love and Eggs,2004) and Daun di Atas Bantal (Leaf on a Pillow,1997).The textual analysis of films that is carried out is framed by two key ideas: firstly, Garin’s position as an auteur and, secondly, the specific ways in which he deploys representations of children against mainstream discursive constructions in Indonesia. Following the argument that Garin has used a form of ‘strategic intervention’ to explore particular political issues in Indonesia (Hanan 2004), the thesis identifies ways in which Garin deconstructs children’s images and provides alternatives to dominant discourses on childhood in Indonesia. Through the analysis of selected films, the thesis reveals that while the identities of children are constructed in his films against the idealized image of Indonesian children, they are also utilized by him to convey more broadly his political views about Indonesia

Kepanikan Moral Dan Dakwah Islam Populer (Membaca Fenomena ‘Rohis\u27 Di Indonesia)

The phenomenon of Islamic spirituality in campus turns out to not only be a political and preaching movement, but is also related to “moral panic” that overwhelms the Indonesian society, especially after a massive penetration of Western and East Asian pop culture. This article is the result of an intensive research involving a number of Senior High Schools students in Yogyakarta in 2008-2009. It was found that the flood of pop culture since the 1970s have produced a counter reaction i.e. pop as a counter culture to the Islamic circle. Worries about the “ghost” of pop culture among adolescent are shown in a guidance book of Islamic preaching in school. Such moral panic recently caused the proselytizing movement in school or popularly called ‘Rohis\u27 to become more popular among Indonesian Moslem adolescent

Islam dalam Pandangan Surat Kabar Jepang di Jawa (1916-1941)

This article aims to describe the views of Japanese newspapers published in Java between 1916 and 1941 on Islam as the most important aspects of the indigenous people’s life the island. The main sources used in this study were writings about Islam that appeared in three Japanese newspapers, namely Tjahaja Selatan, Java Nippo, and Sinar Selatan. In these writings, Islam is not only viewed from a spiritual perspective, but also political, as something that was always in conflict with the colonial government in particular, and the West in general. This view is influenced by developments related to Islam that occur both locally and globally. In the local context, at that time a modern Islamic movement was emerging in Java, while globally, there was also Pan-Islamism that spread and meet with Asianism in Japan

Ngemong: Dimensi Keluarga Pasien Psikotik Di Jawa

The purpose of this paper was to explore family burden, coping, and support for psychotic patients in a Javanese setting. A combination of ethnographic and clinical methodology was employed. During my fieldwork in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, I followed 9 participants diagnosed as having first episode psychosis. Three of them met the ICD-10 criteria for Schizophrenia, five for Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder (ATPD), and one for Schizoaffective Disor¬der. I carried out ethnographic fieldwork among nine participants and their families in their natural home setting, as well as conducting in-depth interviews. In addition, I administered the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES) for family members and Sentence Completion Test (SCT). The result indicated that despite experiencing psychological and economic burden, families provided a high level of support for their mentally ill members which are reflected in the application of Javanese principle of ngemong. Three aspects the practice of ngemong is discussed. Keywords: family, psychotic illness, bur¬den, coping, support, Javanese cultur

Representasi Perempuan Indonesia Dalam Komunikasi Visual: Wacana Yang (Belum) Berubah

Sebagai sebuah narasi yang bercerita tentang riwayat panjang kemanusiaan, ada banyak hal yang bisa ditapaki dari produk-produk komunikasi visual kita, entah itu film, media massa, ataupun iklan. Sosok perempuan dalam film, dari segi kuantitas, menduduki posisi yang cukup sentral. Ini dialami pula oleh perempuan yang tampil dalam majalah dan iklan—setidaknya wajah perempuan bertaburan di mana-mana. Namun, kondisi sedemikian tidak serta-merta meniscayakan adanya representasi perempuan dalam wacana yang cukup bermutu. Penelusuran atas berbagai literatur yang menyoal representasi perempuan di tiga media komunikasi visual, yaitu film, majalah, dan iklan memperlihatkan wacana tentang perempuan yang belum berubah dari stereotip klasik. Untuk mengubah stereotip ini, gerakan feminis yang digagas oleh para aktivis tidaklah cukup. Perempuan mesti menyediakan ruang dan waktu untuk berdialog secara leluasa dengan dirinya sendiri, guna menegosiasikan secara kritis pelbagai pemaknaan yang ditawarkan pada mereka dalam upaya mengonstruksi diri ataupun masyarakat yang lebih ramah terhadap eksistensi perempuan

Representasi Perempuan Indonesia Dalam Komunikasi Visual: Wacana Yang (Belum) Berubah

Sebagai sebuah narasi yang bercerita tentang riwayat panjang kemanusiaan, ada banyak hal yang bisa ditapaki dari produk-produk komunikasi visual kita, entah itu film, media massa, ataupun iklan. Sosok perempuan dalam film, dari segi kuantitas, menduduki posisi yang cukup sentral. Ini dialami pula oleh perempuan yang tampil dalam majalah dan iklan—setidaknya wajah perempuan bertaburan di mana-mana. Namun, kondisi sedemikian tidak serta-merta meniscayakan adanya representasi perempuan dalam wacana yang cukup bermutu. Penelusuran atas berbagai literatur yang menyoal representasi perempuan di tiga media komunikasi visual, yaitu film, majalah, dan iklan memperlihatkan wacana tentang perempuan yang belum berubah dari stereotip klasik. Untuk mengubah stereotip ini, gerakan feminis yang digagas oleh para aktivis tidaklah cukup. Perempuan mesti menyediakan ruang dan waktu untuk berdialog secara leluasa dengan dirinya sendiri, guna menegosiasikan secara kritis pelbagai pemaknaan yang ditawarkan pada mereka dalam upaya mengonstruksi diri ataupun masyarakat yang lebih ramah terhadap eksistensi perempuan

Constructing the Nation: Representation and Children in Indonesian Cinema

This thesis conducts close analysis of Indonesian films that place children in the main narrative, to examine the way these representations are constructed to convey cultural narratives and ideologies about Indonesia as a nation. As a creative-production research project, this thesis consists of an exegetical written and an essay film, both of which address the same central research question concerning the discursive construction of the nation through the representation of children in Indonesian cinema