Literature and Politics: Representations of the 1965 Tragedy Under the New Order

Yoseph Yapi Taum

Jan 2022 · Sanata Dharma University Press

About this ebook

In the discourse of Indonesian literature history, the relationship between literature and politics is pressing issue, a situation that cannot be easily to overcome. A long time ago, during the Dutch colonial government, there was a rule that literature should not discuss ideology, religion, and politics. This colonial policy lasts and never changes even though Indonesia was already get its independence. Thats why Indonesian literary society and writers have a strong believe that literature must not be involved in politics and it must not have any moral and political goals. Literature cannot be related to real-life directly because literature is only a fictional work. The historical aspects outside literature are considered as a background or a foreground that cannot destroy the authentic characteristics of the literary works as imaginary fictional works. Literary works tend to be only considered as entertainment tools that narrate an alternative world, which is totally different from the world where we are living.

This book will be the first in discussing the relationship between literature and politics. Students and experts of various sciences who would like to understand the episteme of the New Order can get benefits from this book. This book gives us a reflection that the development is for human beings, not the human beings are for the development. The humanistic development dimension must be a must. Literary works still exist continuously to guard the Indonesians' struggles in defending their human dignity.

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About the author

Dr. Yoseph Yapi Taum, M.Hum was born in Ataili, Lembata, NTT, December 16, 1964. Completed his Doctorate at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta with a dissertation entitled Representations of the 1965 Tragedy: A New Historicism Study of Literary and Non-literary Texts Years 1966-1998.”

Currently a permanent lecturer at the Department of Indonesian Literature, Faculty of Letters, University of Sanata Dharma. In 2003-2004, he received an ASIA Fellows Awards scholarship from the Asian Scholarship Foundation, Bangkok to conduct research in Cambodia with the title Collective Cambodian Memories of Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime. In 2008 he received an Asian Graduate Student Fellow from the Asia Research Institute (ARI) National University of Singapore for a study entitled Representation of 1965 Tragedy in Indonesian Collective Memory. In 2010 he received a Sandwich Program scholarship from the Higher Education for a doctoral internship at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Robert Cribb.

Awards received, among others, Rank II Outstanding Lecturer in the Social and Humanities Sector at Kopertis Region V Yogyakarta Special Region in 2017; 1st Place for Lecturer with National Level Achievement in the Category of Lecturer in Social and Humanities 2017. Chief Editor of the International Journal of Humanities Studies (IJHS) Universitas Sanata Dharma.

His published books are: (1) Kisah Wato Wele-Lia Nurat dalam Tradisi Puisi Lisan Flores Timur, Jakarta: The Indonesian Torch and the Association of Oral Traditions (1997); (2) Pengantar Teori Sastra: Strukturalisme, Poststrukturalisme, Sosiologi, dan Teori Resepsi, Ende: Nusa Indah Press (1997); (3) Studi Sastra Lisan: Sejarah, Teori, Metode, dan Pendekatan Disertai Contoh Penerapannya, Yogyakarta: Lamalera Publisher (2011); (4) Ballada Arakian: Kumpulan Puisi, Yogyakarta: Penerbit Lamalera (2015, Yogyakarta: Lamalera Publisher (2015); (5) Sastra dan Politik: Representasi Tragedi 1965 dalam Negara Orde Baru, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Press (2015); (6) Kajian Semiotika: Godlob Danarto dalam Perspektif Teeuw, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Press (2018); (7) Ballada Orang-Orang Arfak: Antologi Puisi, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Press (2019); (8) Peran Kebudayaan dalam Strategi Pembangunan Bangsa: Merajut Ingatan, Merawat Harapan, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Press (2019); (9) Sastra Lisan Timor Leste Nololo Masyarakat Fataluku, Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Press (2020), (10) Dari Prolog ke Epilog: Sejumlah Esai Sastra, Yogyakarta: Lamalera Publisher (2021).

David T. Hill, Professor Kajian Asia Tenggara dan Fellow di Asia Research Centre, Universitas Murdoch, Australia Barat. Bukunya yang terakhir dalam bahasa Indonesia adalah Jurnalisme dan Politik di Indonesia: Biografi Kritis Mochtar Lubis (1922-2004) sebagai pemimpin redaksi dan pengarang (Yayasan Obor Indonesia, Jakarta, 2011).

Thomas Aquino Hermawan M. (Thoms), Ia adalah editor layout, ilustrator khusus sampul buku perwajahan dan isi, dan bekerja di bagian produksi penerbitan di Sanata Dharma University Press, sejak 2004 dan sudah menghasilkan ratusan layout buku.

Sanata Dharma University Press adalah pendukung penerbitan e-book ini.