Ruang Ketiga dan Uncanny Dalam Novel The Bluest Eye Karya Toni Morrison : Analisis Pascakolonial Homi Kilo Bhabha

ENDRATI JATI SIWI, Dr. Sudibyo, M.Hum.

2018 | Tesis | MAGISTER SASTRA

Perbedaan ras merupakan pengalaman harfiah dan alami yang dialami sebagian besar manusia, salah satunya adalah orang-orang yang tinggal di Amerika.Negara dengan julukan salad bowl ini tak lepas dari isu rasialisme. Orang-orang kulit hitam di Amerika sejak abad ke 16 mengalami penindasan dan diperlakukan sebagai budak oleh orang-orang kulit putih. Meskipun Abraham Lincoln telah menghapuskan perbudakan pada tahun 1863, isu rasialisme tetap menjadi momok terutama bagi kalangan orang-orang kulit hitam. Masalah rasisme berkaitan erat dengan orientalisme dan kolonialisme. Sebagaimana kita ketahui, perasaan ingin menjadi unggul yang dimiliki bangsa Barat, khususnya orang-orang kulit putih mendorong terjadinya kolonisasi. The Bluest Eye (TBE), sebuah novel karya Toni Morrison, menyampaikan isu penindasan orang-orang kulit putih terhadap orang-orang kulit hitam di Amerika. Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti membahas novel The Bluest Eye (TBE) dari perspektif teori pascakolonial dan didukung dengan metode pembacaan dekonstruksi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkapkan posisi orang-orang Afrika Amerika, ruang ketiga dan fenomena uncanny. Oleh karena itu, teori pascakolonialisme Homi K. Bhabha (1994) digunakan untuk mengungkap hal tersebut. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah sebagai berikut. Pertama, posisi orang-orang Afrika Amerika yang selalu dianggap lebih rendah dari orang-orang Amerika merupakan akibat dari perbedaan warna kulit antara keduanya, yaitu hitam dan putih. Selain itu, adanya perbedaan warna kulit juga mengakibatkan munculnya sistem stratifikasi yang menentukan status seseorang di kalangan orang-orang Afrika Amerika. Kedua, posisi orang-orang kulit hitam Afrika Amerika dan orang-orang kulit putih Amerika bersifat kompleks. Mereka terlahir saling membutuhkan hingga mendorong keduanya untuk bernegosiasi dan bertranslasi di ruang ketiga atau ruang liminal. Ketiga, uncanny hadir dikarenakan adanya anggapan tentang adanya rasa memiliki terhadap tanah yang sedang dihuni, padahal bukan milik mereka sepenuhnya. Selain itu, uncanny terjadi karena adanya keraguan individu terhadap identitas dan penarikan diri dari masyarakat sekitar akibat penolakan yang diterima. Bentuk lain uncanny berupa ketidaksempurnaan proses negosiasi seseorang akibat pengalaman buruk yang ia alami.

Racial difference is a common and natural phenomenon which is experienced by most of human beings, some of whom are people who live in America. The country dubbed as salad bowl cannot also be separated from a racial issue. Since the 16th century, black people in America have been oppressed and treated as slaves by white people. Even though Abraham Lincoln has abolished the slavery in 1863, racial issue remains a scourge along the blacks. Racism is closely related to orientalism and colonialism. As known by many people, an ambition owned by the West, especially white people, to be superior to the blacks lead to colonialism. This phenomenon is also pictured in The Bluest Eye (TBE), a novel written by Toni Morrison which tells about an oppression issue of black people in America. In this study, the researcher would like to examine this novel, The Bluest Eyes, from postcolonial theoretical perspective using a deconstructive reading method. This study aimed to reveal the position of African Americans, third space, and uncanny phenomenon. Therefore, a postcolonial theory by Homi K. Bhabha (1994) was utilized in this study. This study generated some findings. First, black African Americans were always considered as a group of people who were inferior to white Americans as the result of skin-color differences, between those two social groups; black and white. In addition, those differences also led to a social stratification system that determined one�s social status among African Americans. Second, the relationship between black African Americans and white Americans was complex. Despite the fact that white Americans often oppressed black African Americans, actually they needed one to another. This situation encouraged those two groups to negotiate and translate in the third space or liminal space. Third, uncanny phenomenon occurred because of the assumption and sense of ownership for the land they inhabited �in fact, it was not solely their own land. On the other hand, uncanny also took place because there were individuals� doubt about their identity and withdrawal from a community for the social rejection. The other form is uncanny as one�s imperfect negotiation process due to the bad experiences he/she encountered.

Kata Kunci : pascakolonialisme, rasisme, ruang ketiga, uncanny, Homi K. Bhabha