Pembentukan karakter budaya Amerika melalui perempuan Afrika Amerika :: Kajian novel-novel karya Toni Morrison

HERMININGRUM, Sri, Promotor Prof. Dr. Siti Chamaamh Soeratno

2010 | Disertasi | S3 Ilmu Pengkajian Amerika

Menelaah perempuan Kulit Hitam dan komunitasnya dalam karya-karya sastra Afrika-Amerika dari kategori genderized, sexualized, dan racialized dalam perspektif Pengkajian Amerika menyangkut tiga hal. (1) Posisi karya sastra dari sudut pandang sosio-historis. (2) Hubungan karya sastra dan fenomena sosial; dan (3) pegeseran 'konsep regionalisme' dari sekat-sekat wilayah ke masalah gender dan ras. Karena studi yang dilakukan adalah penelitian kualitatif dan difokuskan pada karya-karya sastra yang mengangkat lema perempuan Kulit Hitam, maka novel-novel Toni Morison, The Bluest Eye (1970), SulJJ (1973), Song of Solomon (1977), Tar Baby (1981), Beloved (1987), Jazz (1992), Paradise) (1997) dan Love (2003), dipilih sebagai objek materi penelitian. Dengan menerapkan pendekatan interdispliner ditemukan bahwa perbudakan sebagai inti gagasan rasisme dan seksisme, yang harus dihadapi oleh perempuan Kulit Hitam, menjadi seperti mata rantai dari generasi ke generasi. Di satu pihak. jual bell budak dan praktik-praktik perbudakan lainnya tclah merusak lembaga keluarga Kulit Hitam. Di lain pihak, perbudakan membentuk budaya Kulit Hitam dengan ctri

Observing Black women and their community in African-American Uterature from categories of genderized, sexualized and racialized in American Studies perspectives takes three considerations. (1) The position of literary works in socio-historic points of view. (2) The relationship between literature and social phenomena; and (3) the shift of 'regionalism' concept from sectionalism to gender and race. Since the study executed was qualitative research and focused on literary works that highlight Black women themes, so Toni Morrison' s novels, The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1973), Song of Solomon (1977), Tar Baby (1981), Belaued (1987), Jazz (1992), Paradise) (1991) and l..Lm! (2003),-were chosen as the research object. By applying interdisciplinary enterprise, it was discovered that slavery, as the nucleus of racism and sexism that should be faced by Black women. is like a linkage chain from one generation to another. On one side, slave trades and other slavery practices did damage Black family institution. One the other side, slavery had moulded Black culture to be characteristically unique. As mothers, Black women have to socialize their children to cope with the reality of racism. To pr~are their girls, noubly in facing both racism and sexism, they use the concept of 'lioness raises young lion'. As mothers and wives, Black women risk ' reality principles': besides being both caregivers and breadwinners for their children, they are to shoulder their husbands' frustration due to racism. As daughters, they have to be tough to constantly disprove negative stereotypes because of their history, social strata and black skin. For hundreds of years, Black women have constructed women-<:entered network by devoting themselves as other-mothers or community-mothers so that young generations would be able to reach their future. Morrl.ion's novels al5o unravel the fact that if in Slavery Era Black women were commodity of Whites, more than one hundred years aftermath they are commodity of their men. The two main white culture notions, patriarchal and beauty standard concepts create tremendous disarray to Black women, not only to adults but al5o children. The depiction of Black women's kaleidoscopic life, from Slavery Era to Civil Rights Movement in 1980s was a projection reflecting the cycle of human life: born- exist- die that served past, present and future. Women's hard struggle for unchaining the 'interlocking system of oppression' is historical documenl The limitless 'usable past' which was managed by Morrison reveals that Black women are those whose 'other culture' has correcte<;i American Exceptionalism. Their power to preserve Black culture as a part of heterogeneous pattern is an embodiment of American Mind

Kata Kunci : Regionalisme,Prinsip-prinsip realitas,Simpul mati sistem penindasan,Usable past