Membaca Pesan Lemah Tanjung Karya Ratna Indraswari Ibrahim dari Perspektif Postcolonial Ecocriticism

Abstract

Alas! A space, in this case the urban forest, primary considered as public domain which presence is potentially significant as the established-natural-ecology is read but a subject, or valuable entity by investors who want to take over the site to be used as a commercial enterprise promoting economic benefits. The former even tend to deny the historical values and issues on earth-conservation. The complexity of the struggle to win the dispute between the investors, brings the notion of the anthropocentric agenda with local inhabitants over an area which is home to scarce vegetation and indigenous animals, as well as water spring at the heart of Malang City becomes the main awareness excavated by Ratna Indraswari Ibrahim through her work, Lemah Tanjung. Through the perspective of Postcolonial Ecocriticism, the particular point presented in this paper is how Ecological Imperialism is narrated and presented in the novel? The discussion found several indications that Lemah Tanjung, the name of the disputed-place is attributed to and positioned as an alien or other which should not be maintained. It is exploited due to the ‘development’ by investors, teamed-up with the bureaucrat. The struggle to liberate Lemah Tanjung from the conflict of interest seems to be long and windy since there are unequal power relation due to lack of support from fellow dwellers around the forest thanks to the terrors conducted by the powerful.

Keywords: Postcolonial Ecocriticism, ecological imperialism, Lemah Tanjung, teror, relasi kuasa