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The Construction of The Third Space in the Palestinian Diaspora’s Return Narratives in the Novel Maṣā’ir: A Postcolonial Narratological Study Wahyu Mustika Rani; Muhamad Adji; Ikhwan Ikhwan
Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra Vol 14, No 2 (2026)
Publisher : Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24036/jbs.v14i2.137173

Abstract

This article examines the complexities surrounding the return of the Palestinian diaspora to their homeland under Israeli occupation have been prominently explored in literary works, one of which is Rabai Al-Madhoun’s novel Maṣā'ir: Kūnshirtū al-Hūlūkawst wan-Nakbah (2015). This study aims to examine the construction of the “third space” as depicted in the novel, grounded in Homi K. Bhabha’s concepts of the unhomely and the third space. It seeks to uncover the textual strategies employed in constructing a space for the negotiation of identity within the novel. The literary text analysis employs Mieke Bal’s narratological framework across three layers text, story, and fabula integrated with Gérard Genette’s concept of metalepsis at the narrative level. The findings reveal that the dynamics of the diaspora’s return are presented in a fragmented and non-linear manner. Frequent shifts in narrators and focalizers blur the boundaries between narrative levels. Consequently, the “glorious” return idealized by the diaspora fails to serve as a means of restoring original identity. Instead, it triggers profound uncertainty, manifesting as a deep sense of estrangement or the unhomely. This experience of alienation in one’s own land becomes the catalyst that drives the characters to construct a third space within non-physical dimensions spiritual, imaginary, and psychological as well as through stories-within-stories. These are manifested in the characters’ thoughts, utterances, and writings, taking the form of metadiegetic narratives. This study concludes that the narrative of return in the novel is articulated through two narrative levels: the primary diegetic narrative and the metadiegetic narrative (fiction within fiction). Together, they construct a third space as a fluid, continuously articulated, and perpetually evolving identity.
Strategi Naratif dan Resistensi terhadap Konstruksi Identitas Agama dalam Novel Anjing Mengeong Kucing Menggonggong Karya Eka Kurniawan Dewi Lenggani Prima Rini; Muhamad Adji; Mochamad Irfan Hidayatullah
Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra Vol 14, No 2 (2026)
Publisher : Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.24036/jbs.v14i2.138701

Abstract

In studies of contemporary Indonesian literature, Eka Kurniawan's novel Anjing Mengeong Kucing Menggonggong has primarily been examined through the lenses of internal conflict and power relations. However, few studies have positioned narrative strategy as the primary medium through which the negotiation of religious identity is represented. This study aims to examine how religious identity is represented in the novel and how narrative strategies are employed to portray resistance as part of the ongoing negotiation of identity. The analysis draws on Genette's narratology, focusing on order, duration, frequency, focalization, and is supported by Hall's theory of identity, Bell's theory of ritual, and Scott's concept of resistance. The findings show that religious practices such as prayer, Qur'an recitation, fasting, and circumcision are understood not only as acts of worship but also as practices that shape the characters' everyday lives. This subversive tendency is already suggested in the title (Dogs Bark, Cats Meow), which reverses what is commonly perceived as natural, creating space to question identities and norms that have long been accepted as fixed. The study also finds that narrative strategies play a significant role in constructing this representation through the use of temporal structure, focalization, and voice, allowing religiosity to be understood as a plural and evolving experience rather than a singular one. In the novel, resistance is not presented simply as a rejection of religious identity but as a way for the characters to reinterpret, negotiate, and reshape their religious identities through everyday experiences. Thus, the novel portrays religiosity as a dynamic space of identity negotiation that continues to evolve through the characters' lived experiences, social relationships, and personal choices.