Exile Trauma and Gender Relevance in the Novel Pulang: Postmemory Studies Marianne Hirsch

Abstract

This research focuses on revealing the discourse of exile as a victim who transmits their trauma to the second generation in the novel Pulang by Leila S. Chudori. Furthermore, this research will also look at the position of gender in the formulation of transmission obtained by the second generation which affects the identification of trauma inheritance to the second generation. This research uses Postmemory Marianne Hirsch's perspective to analyze the process of trauma inheritance, which is rarely found in Indonesian literary works. The research method used in this study is historical descriptive, causality, and comparison. This finding of trauma inheritance done by the first generation is the trauma of loss due to the 1965 tragedy which then passed down to his child. Familial transmission becomes the basis of trauma inheritance strengthened by affiliate transmission. Affiliative transmission is a work of authentication as Indonesia. Gender has a role in the affectivity of transmission. Transmissions involving fathers (exiles) and daughters are just as triggers to create trauma. It is interesting to find that affiliative transmission creates intersubjectivity involving female (non-exile) characters who are close to the first generation is strengthens the inheritance of trauma to the second generation and tends to be more effective than familial transmission. The first generation is exile, identified their trauma by remembering and bringing Indonesian features in various forms. Whereas the second generation does it more concretely by becoming a real Indonesia. The novelty of this research is that an exile's trauma about the 1965 tragedy can be passed on to the second generation through a transmission process, a journey back to Indonesia, and gender relevance. The novel Pulang wants to present new facts about the redefinition of an exile as a victim and as an effort for reconciliation.