PEREMPUAN DAN NEGARA: KAJIAN FEMINIS DALAM KONTEKS SOSIAL “BH” KARYA AGUS NOOR

Woodrich, Chris ( Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Universitas Gadjah Mada)

Jurnal Kawistara : Jurnal Ilmiah Sosial dan Humaniora
Vol 3, No 2 (2013)

The struggle of the oppressed to obtain their rights is never complete. There is always someone who ismarginalized. In his short story “BH” Agus Noor presents a young woman who is ultimately killed by her bra, a garment which had repeatedly groped her breasts previously. At the surface this unrealistic story appears to be a simple critique against the repression of women. However, when placed against the socio-political backdrop in which it was written, namely that of the repressive New Order government under President Suharto, it is readily apparent that the oppression of women is used as a symbol of the general oppression and censorship in New Order Indonesia. In the New Order, as presented by Agus Noor, the aged (and thus empowered) forces used a familial form of “anakisme” to subjugate the general populace and thus ensure that the general populace cannot ef􀃀ciently overturn the power structure. This reading reminds us that women’s struggle for recognition and equality cannot be divorced from the struggles of other oppressed classes, which must 􀃀ght for their rights and often collaborate for a greater effect.