Publication
Post-Authoritarian Discourses of “Indonesia” in Television Commercials
Abstracts views
8
Views & Download
2
Abstract:
This working paper examines the symbolic construction of “Indonesia” in eighteen television
commercials that were aired between 2006 and 2013. Employing critical discourse analysis, I
identify two imaginings of Indonesia: the first is a reproduction of the New Order’s notion of
Indonesia as a country of diverse cultural traditions, and the second is the discourse of Indonesia
as a nation of hardworking and self-reliant people. While the former is oriented towards the past,
the latter is oriented towards the future. Interestingly, this second discourse is symptomatic of
the paradigmatic shift towards pragmatism that was manifested in Joko Widodo’s win of the
presidency in 2014. This research indicates that in post-authoritarian Indonesia, narratives of the
nation and nationalism are no longer exclusively dictated by the state. This is convergent with a
widespread phenomenon, where neo-liberal principles and market logic are increasingly
informing discourses of nationhood.
Description:
Date:
2016
Authors:
Stefani Nugroho
Publisher:
Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam
