Franklin Book Programs: Mempromosikan Amerika Serikat Melalui Penerjemahan Buku di Indonesia, 1955-1968

Firda Rihatusholihah, Wildan Sena Utama, M. A.

2019 | Skripsi | S1 SEJARAH

Kontestasi Perang Dingin antara Amerika Serikat dan Uni Soviet pada 1950-an hingga 1960-an sampai pada diplomasi kebudayaan, Melalui badan penerangan dan program kerjasama, keduanya bersaing untuk mendapat citra positif: bersahabat, maju dalam teknologi dan pendidikan, guna mempengaruhi negara-negara Dunia Ketiga. Indonesia pun tidak luput dari kontestasi tersebut. Namun demikian, kerjasama ekonomi, politik, dan militer dalam konteks Perang Dingin lebih sering dibicarakan dibanding kebudayaan. Oleh karenanya, penelitian ini berusaha mencari tahu bagaimana Amerika memperluas pengaruhnya melalui program kerjasama penerjemahan buku-buku pengetahuan dan sastra, yakni Franklin Book Programs yang dilaksanakan di Indonesia dengan fokus pada periode 1955-1968. Sumber yang digunakan meliputi arsip dari Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Library of Congress, koran-koran tahun 1950-an dan 1960-an koleksi Perpustakaan Nasional Republik Indonesia serta berbagai buku dan artikel. Franklin Book Programs memang tidak terang-terangan menyatakan sebagai agen Perang Dingin. Namun demikian, Franklin mengadakan kerjasama dengan tokoh Partai Sosialis Indonesia dan seorang partisipan Congress for Cultural Freedom yang kebetulan memimpin usaha penerbitan pada 1950-an. Selain itu, pemilihan beberapa judul buku yang diterjemahkan berkaitan dengan progra Atoms for Peace, suatu kampanye manfaat positif atom disamping sebagai senjata perang. Dari hubungan-hubungan di atas, Franklin secara terselubung berkontribusi memperluas pengaruh Amerika melalui buku-buku yang diterjemahkan.

Contestation between United States and Soviet Union in 1950s to 1960s led to cultural diplomacy. They contested through their own information services and cooperation program to achieve nice image: friendly, had shopisticated technology and well education, then promoted those image and sent the program to Third World countries. Indonesia was also among those countries. However, cultural cooperation in the time of Cold War was less argued than other aspects of cooperation such as economic, politic, and military. However, this research try to find out how US influenced Third World countries during the Cold War through book translation program, specifically Franklin Book Programs that operated in Indonesia throughout 1950s to 1960s. Therefore, archives from Princeton University Library, Library of Congress, newspapers from 1950s and 1960s era in the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia, also books and articles which are relevant will be used as sources for the research. Franklin Book Programs certainly was not promoting itself as Cold War agent. Yet, Franklin cooperated with a member of Indonesia Socialist Party and one of participants of Congress for Cultural Freedom, which both of them directed publishers in Indonesia during 1950s to 1960s. On the other hand, many of translated work were linked to Atoms for Peace program that promoted useful ways of atomic energy beside as weapons. From the connection above, Franklin implicitly contributed to America's influence through book translated program during the Cold War.

Kata Kunci : Keywords: Cold War, United States, Indonesia, Franklin Book Programs, Cultural diplomacy