Identity Crisis of Tionghoa Ethnic in the Novel Naga Kuning by Yusiana Basuki

Abstract

The "descent" label has created a distance between the Tionghoa ethnic and the indigenous people in Indonesia. The "descent" label creates the impression that the Tionghoa ethnic are ethically and morally different from the natives. The 1998 May riots in Jakarta further exacerbated ethnic Tionghoa sentiment in Indonesia. The Tionghoa community is considered as "others" in terms of physical and cultural attributes, so they are not considered part of Indonesian society, even though they are Chinese Indonesians. This has caused the Chinese community in Indonesia to experience an identity crisis. Ethnic Tionghoa are faced with two identities between, Indonesian and Chinese, to blend into Indonesian society. This research seeks to describe the identity crisis of ethnic Tionghoa through female characters in the novel Naga Kuning by Yusiana Basuki. The intersection of gender theory and identity theory is used to analyze the phenomenon of the Tionghoa ethnic identity crisis in Indonesia. The method used in this research was descriptive qualitative. Data collection was done through literary studies. The results showed that Yusiana Basuki, through the novel Naga Kuning depicts discrimination and violence against Tionghoa women in Indonesia during the 1998 riots. The discrimination and violence caused an identity crisis in Tionghoa women. The identity that is built is a blurred identity caused by socio-political conditions. The form of identity crisis described in this novel is the downturn, fear, and alienation of women from the social life they live. Despite being a victim of harassment and violence, the character Lily is a Chinese woman who survives and tries to continue to rise in the face of various conflicts as a discriminated ethnicity.