Penelitian ini mengkaji: (1) wacana identitas nasional dalam novel Indonesia modern, pada keberpihakannya terhadap suara sub-altern; dan (2) bias serta dilema âesensialisme strategisâ posisi sub-altern dalam narasi yang coba disuarakan. Teori penunjang adalah teori poskolonial, strategi pembacaan kritis terhadap dampak kolonial. Hasil yang diperoleh dalam penelitian ini yaitu: suara sub-altern sebagai sub-ordinat, intens secara kritis âmenyuarakanâ komitmen identitas nasional. Hanya saja, akibat efek kolonialisme yang masih hegemonik (keinginan menjadi âpusatâ), âsuaraâ kritis itu justru merepresentasi wacana identitas nasional dalam kodifikasi suara âpusatâ, suatu tanda bagi langgengnya hegemoni kolonial. Hal itu dibuktikan dalam novel Burung-Burung Manyar karya YB. Mangunwijaya, dalam kaitan pencapaian âEsensialisme Strategisâ wacana identitas nasional, masih menghadirkan dikotomi pusat dan pinggiran yang timpang. Akibatknya, secara horisontal identitas nasionalisme yang dibangun suara sub-altern (pedalaman) kian menempatkannya pada posisi marginal dan yang secara vertikal berada di bawah otoritas suara pusat. Hal tersebut mengimplikasikan pula ciri statis sistem kolonial yang hegemoni dalam novel Indonesia modern, di mana âpusatâ hadir superior terhadap âpedalamanâ yang inferior. The Article is titled "Sounds of the Outback" - Bias and Dilemmas of National Identity in the Novel Birds Manyar, An Effort Achievement "Strategic Essentialism", to assess: 1). discourse of national identity in modern Indonesian novel, at its partiality towards the sound sub-altern, and 2). bias and the dilemma of "strategic essentialism" sub-altern position in trying voiced narrative. Supporting the theory is postcolonial theory, critical reading strategies to the impact of colonial rule. The results obtained are sub-altern voice as a sub-ordinate, intense critically "voicing" the commitment of national identity. However, due to the effects of colonialism which still hegemonic (the desire to be the center), the noise that actually represents the critical discourse of national identity in the codification of sound "center", a sign for the perpetuation of colonial hegemony. This was evidenced, novel Birds Manyar YB work. Mangunwijaya, in terms of achievement of the "Strategic Essentialism" discourse of national identity, still presents the dichotomy of center and periphery is lame. Akibatknya, horizontally identity nationalism built sound sub-altern (inland) are increasingly being placed in a marginal position, and vertically under the authority of the central sound. It also implies a static characteristic of colonial hegemonic system in modern Indonesian novel, where the "center" is present superior to the "deep" inferior.