BUMIPUTRA AUTHOR’S RESISTANCE TOWARD POLITICAL HEGEMONY AND CANONIZATION OF BALAI PUSTAKA IN THE NOVEL HIKAYAT KADIROEN AND STUDENT HIDJO 1Hary Sulistyo & 2)Endang Sartika Universitas Sebelas Maret1) & IAIN Purwokerto2) mail: [email protected] Abstract The ideological and aesthetic contestation of Balai Pustaka, forcing writer’s resistance particularly Bumiputra writers. The ideological contestation occurs because Balai Pustaka as the apparatus of the Colonial government suppress the resistance attitudes of the indigenous authors. The authors, who ideologically contradicted with the government, resisted the politics of literature through their works. This research is intended to reveal the canonization of Balai Pustaka which governs the aesthetic and ideological standards of literary works and the resistance of Bumiputra authors toward the hegemony of the Dutch East Indies. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative approach by seeing the text as the representation of hegemony and resistance as well as linking textual and contextual issues to describe literary politics and the reflection of general politics. The objects of this research are the text and historical context represented in the novel Hikayat Kadiroen and Student Hidjo. The results show that Hikayat Kadiroen presents exemplary attitudes of fair leaders in solving peoples’ problems and representing the identity of Indonesian literature. Whereas Student Hidjo portrayed concern for the Indigenous people by criticisizing the political hegemony on racial basic. The resistance of Bumiputra authors was shown by raising resistance theme toward colonialism in the Dutch East Indies, as a form of resistance toward political hegemony and canonization of Balai Pustaka. Keywords: hegemony and resistance, Dutch East Indies, cultural identity. RESISTENSI PENGARANG BUMIPUTERA TERHADAP HEGEMONI POLITIK DAN KANONISASI BALAI PUSTAKA DALAM NOVEL HIKAYAT KADIROEN DAN STUDENT HIDJO Abstrak Kontestasi ideologis dan estetis Balai Pustaka, menghadirkan sikap-sikap perlawanan khususnya para penulis Bumiputra. Pertarungan ideologis terjadi karena Balai Pustaka sebagai apparatus pemerintah Kolonial, menekan sikap-sikap perlawanan pengarang Pribumi. Para pengarang yang secara ideologi berseberangan dengan pemerintah, melakukan resistensi atas politik kesusastraan melalui karya- karyanya. Tujuan penelitian ini mengungkapkan kanonisasi Balai Pustaka yang mengatur standar estetis dan idelogis karya sastra dan perlawanan kelompok Bumiputra terhadap hegemoni yang diterapkan di Hindia Belanda. Metode penelitian ini diawali dengan melihat teks sebagai representasi hegemoni dan resistensi dalam 310 novel Hikayat Kadiroen dan Student Hidjo. Menghubungkan persoalan tekstual dan kontekstual untuk menjabarkan politik sastra dan cerminan politik general. Hasil penelitian menunjukan Hikayat Kadiroen menghadirkan sikap keteladanan pemimpin yang adil terhadap rakyat dalam menyeselaikan persoalan dan merepresentasikan identitas kultural kesusastraan Indonesia. Sedangkan Student Hidjo, menunjukkan sikap kepedulian terhadap Pribumi dengan kritik terhadap hegemoni politik atas dasar rasialis. Resistensi pengarang Bumiputra terhadap Balai Pustaka, ditunjukkan dengan mengangkat tema perlawanan terhadap kolonialisme di Hindia Belanda, sebagai bentuk resistensi terhadap hegemoni dan kanonisasi Balai Pustaka. Kata kunci: hegemoni dan resistensi, Hindia Belanda, identitas kultural. INTRODUCTION Dutch Indies era literary has been Literature in Dutch East Indies discussed by Sudibyo (2017). His era before Indonesia become an research discussed about the Uncany, independent nation consisted of Indies the European-blooded people who Literature, Peranakan Tionghoa (Chinese had long lived in the Indies like the De descent) Literature, Literature of Balai Pauly family who felt that the Indies Pustaka, and Sastra Bumiputra. Indies were their homeland and hometown. Literature is literary works written by That kind of experienced is also felt by Dutch (Europeans) and their descent Sonja, an Indo figure. Despite having who live in the Dutch East Indies gained Dutch citizenship, he decided to which was originally written in Dutch. visit his native land and commemorate They wrote their works while visiting his beautiful childhood in Indonesia or working in the Dutch East Indies. (Dutch East Indies). Some of them wondered and fascinated, In order to regulate the literary but some denounced and sigmatized. works written in the Dutch East Indies writers from European descent Indies, the government implemented (not Totok Europeans; totok means media politics by establishing Balai native or pristine), often show abigous Pustaka in 1917/1918. Previously, this identity. Regarding with ethical politics, institution was named the Commander they think that they are better than of the Inlandsce School en Volkslectuur the Indigenous people since they have (People’s Reading Commission) European blood (the Netherlands). which was originally founded in 1908 Ironically, they are not really considered (Rosidi, 1985: 29). This institution well either by the Dutch or by the was established to provide reading text Natives. They degrading the Natives, and book for the people and censoring but they are also not considered equal the publication of literary works in by the Dutch and are seen suspicious by the Dutch East Indies. Balai Pustaka, the Natives. One of the Indies author thereafter, issued Nota Rijnkes; that is is Louis Couperus with his work De a set of rules for censorship provision stille kracht (Occult Science) published for any articles and works of art to be in 1900 (Sastrowardoyo,1983:15). The published in the Dutch East Indies. Bumiputra Author’s Resistance Toward Political Hegemony and Canonization ... | 311 The main provisions in the Nota Rijnkes many suppressive issues as explained oblige that every works should be by Yuliati (2018) about the relationship written in Melayu Tinggi or Riau Malay between the Indonesian Press and press (which later became the main language regulations from the Dutch Colonial of Indonesia/ Bahasa Indonesia) period to the Indonesian Revolutionary and the text should not contain any Period. During this period, the Dutch elements that are considered oppose to Colonial Government, the Japanese the Dutch political policy. Nontheless, Military Government, and the ideologically Nota Rijnkes was used to Government of Indonesia continued to repress resistance as much as possible apply suppressive laws. Nevertheless, to the colonial government especially the Indonesian Press has always dared for the works of art which was written to carry out social responsibility in order in MelayuRendah as the lingua franka at to achieve a better life and freedom for that time. Thus, authors who understand the nation. the political context of Balai Pustaka Meanwhile, in term of literary as ideological censorship opposed and works, Nota Rijnkes of Balai Pustaka were reluctant to join Balai Pustaka. at least censors the resistance of two Notwithstanding, many indigenous literary groups, they are Peranakan authors were affiliated with the colonial Tionghoa (Chinese Descent) writers who publishing organization and achieved continued to write in Melayu Rendah success. (Low Malay) until the 1970s and native Publishing censorship was not writers who were incorporated as merely regulate the literary works but Bumiputra writers. Some of Peranakan also printed media. The Dutch as the Tionghoa (Chinese Descent) writers who ruler want to control every single work in wrote in Melayu Rendah (Low Malay) order not to cause any harm. Therefore, were Nio Joe Lan, Tio Le Soei, and Tjoa they tried to repress the writers to write Hin Hoe (Salmon, 1985). Meanwhile any content that consider inappropriate Bumiputra writers are native writes with the Dutch policies. Research on who ideologically refused and opposed media politics and its correlation with to the Dutch East Indies government. the authorities was once conducted by Some of Bumiputra writers are R.M. Anom (2013) who explained that the Tirto Adisoerjo (Doenia Pertjintaan), development of printed media was FDJ Pangemanan (Tjerita Si Tjonat), progressing and reaching the interests Mas Marco Kartodikromo (Student of all the people of the archipelago. Not Hidjo), and Semaoen Hikajat Kadiroen only used for commercial purposes, but (Sumardjo, 2004: 31-32). also used for political purposes. This Semaoen and Mas Marco situation led the Dutch to create a law Kartodikromo are two examples of the that gave severe penalties to those who Bumiputra authors who consistently had the idea of disrupting order in the voiced resistance to colonialism. Dutch East Indies and criticizing the They wrote their works as a form government. of resistance toward the Dutch East The press of the Dutch East Indies Indies hegemony, both resistance to the era until the Revolutionary era, faced Dutch government and the Indigenous 312 | LITERA, Volume 19, Nomor 2, Juli 2020 government in power. Their great are features to explain the conditions and Hikayat Kadiroen and Student Hidjo. representations of society reflected An interesting thing that can be in both novels as well as to elucidate found in the works of Bumiputra, Seamoen and Mas Marco Kartodikromo especially Hikayat Kadiroen and Student position as atraditional intellectual Hidjo, is the representation of resistance authors. by reflecting the conditions in the Indies The purpose of this study is to era as a form of resistance and concern