ABSTRACT
Zhis paper, through postcolonial-feminist criticism, attempts to prove the existence of the oppression toward the Javanese women during the Dutch’s colonialism in Indonesia. The analysis is focused to the character of Sanikem which is also known as Nyai Ontosoroh in Toer’s This Earth of Mankind. Firstly it aims to know whether there is a relation between the Dutch’s colonialism and the Javanese feudalism with the oppression towards Sanikem and then analyse how the dual hierarchy of the Dutch’s colonialism and Javanese’s feudal system contribute to the oppression. The second is to discover shifting of Sanikem’s personality which makes her aware of the oppression and struggle against it. And the last is to examine whether, under the oppression, Sanikem successfully voices her rights or whether her struggles results in vain. In conducting the analysis, cultural and historical background will be applied in the thesis along with the discussion of the subaltern women in a colonized country established by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. This research applies qualitative method which means that the data is taken from the novel itself which is This Earth of Mankind, both digital and non-digital library research, journals, and other resources which are appropriate in conducting the analysis.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
1.2. Statement of the Problems
1.3. Objective of the Study
1.4. Significance of the Study
1.5. Scope and Limitation
1.6. Theoretical Background
1.7. Method of the Study
1.8. Definition of Key Terms
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Theoretical Framework
2.1.1. Post-colonial Feminism
2.1.2. Cultural and Historical Aproach
2.1.2.1. Javanese Culture in the 19th Century
2.1.2.2. Java under the Dutch’s Colonization
2.2. Review of Related Studies
CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS
3.1. Javanese’s Feudal System as the Root of Oppression towards Sanikem
3.1.1. Society’s Values about Ideal Image of Javanese Men and Women
3.1.2. Sanikem’s Father’s Domination
3.2. Oppression towards Sanikem by the Dutch’s Colonialism
3.2.1. Rejection by the European Society
3.2.2. Discrimination by the Dutch’s Colonial Laws
3.3. Shifting of Sanikem’s Personality and Her Awareness of the Oppression
3.4. Sanikem’s Struggle; Can the Subaltern Speak?
CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis investigates the complex intersection of Dutch colonialism and Javanese feudalism, specifically analyzing how these dual structures systematically oppressed native women in 19th-century Indonesia. The primary research goal is to examine the character development of Sanikem (Nyai Ontosoroh) in Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s novel This Earth of Mankind to demonstrate her shifting personality, her dawning awareness of patriarchal and colonial subjugation, and the ultimate silencing of her struggle as a subaltern figure.
- The role of Javanese patriarchal structures and the "Ideology of Familialism" in marginalizing women.
- The impact of Dutch colonial laws and social hierarchy on the lives of indigenous concubines (nyai).
- Sanikem's internal transition from submissive subject to an aware, independent, and resistant woman.
- The application of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s "subaltern" theory to illustrate the impossibility of native women's voices being heard under colonial power.
Excerpt from the Book
Sanikem’s Father’s Domination due to the Belief of Men’s Superiority.
Sanikem also had no freedom to determine her own happiness. Everything was decided by her father just like what she said, “My father and my father alone determined everything.” (Toer 82), including to find a husband for Sanikem. Sanikem was a beautiful maiden, therefore by the time she reached thirteen, proposal of marriage came in often, however all were rejected by her father without discussing it with his wife and daughter first. Sanikem’s father’s act of taking control in every decision in his family shows his superiority as the leader of his wife and children. Sanikem’s mother had nothing to say in this because her opinions or advices were insignificant. Indeed, once Sanikem’s mother asked about what kind of son in-law her husband was looking for but her husband did not answer, and Sanikem’s mother did not dare to ask any further.
Sanikem’s father ‘s refusal of a lot of marriage proposals for his daughter triggered a bad rumor. Their neighbors started wondering why no man was accepted by Sanikem’s father while her daughter, who turned fourteen, was already considered as an old maiden. The rumor said that Sastrotomo might be end up offering his own daughter, Sanikem, to a Dutch’s master to smoothen his career in a Dutch’s company. There was a reason why their neighbour had such opinion. Sastrotomo was an industrious man. Even though he already had a good job as a clerk in a Dutch’s company, he was not satisfied. He wanted a higher position as a cashier in one of the Dutch’s companies.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter establishes the historical background of Dutch colonial impact on Javanese society and defines the research scope concerning the character of Sanikem.
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW: This chapter provides the theoretical framework, combining feminist and post-colonial criticism to analyze the subaltern status of native women in the 19th century.
CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS: This chapter examines the root of oppression against Sanikem through both the Javanese feudal system and Dutch colonial legal frameworks, while tracing her shift in consciousness.
CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION: This chapter synthesizes the research findings, confirming the mutual reinforcement of feudalism and colonialism in the systematic silencing of indigenous women.
Keywords
Subaltern, Colonialism, Feudalism, Oppression, Feminism, Awareness, Nyai, Patriarchy, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Javanese Culture, Post-colonialism, Silence, Resistance, Social Stratification, Identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The thesis explores the systematic oppression of native Javanese women during the Dutch colonial era, specifically through the character of Sanikem in Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novel This Earth of Mankind.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The central themes include the intersection of Dutch colonial power and Javanese feudal patriarchy, the concept of the subaltern, gender-based marginalization, and the struggle for personal autonomy.
What is the main research question of this study?
The study seeks to answer how the dual hierarchy of Dutch colonialism and Javanese feudalism contributed to Sanikem's oppression, and how she struggled against this reality.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The research employs a qualitative method, conducting literary analysis through the lens of post-colonial feminist criticism and utilizing historical and cultural context.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body analyzes the patriarchal nature of Javanese society, the specific exploitation of women as concubines, the role of Dutch colonial laws in marginalizing natives, and the psychological shifting and awareness of the protagonist.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include subaltern, colonialism, feudalism, oppression, feminism, and awareness.
How did Sanikem’s status as a "nyai" affect her legal standing?
As a nyai (concubine), she possessed no legal status under Dutch colonial law, which denied her rights as a mother and excluded her from any claim to her master's property or legitimate social protection.
What is the significance of the "Ideology of Familialism" mentioned in the analysis?
This ideology constrained Javanese women to domestic life and absolute submission to their husbands or fathers, effectively facilitating their marginalization within the societal power structure.
- Quote paper
- rere azizah (Author), 2010, Complex oppression towards sanikem as depicted in Toer's 'Earth of Mankind', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/170984
