The Power of Knowledge in Pandji Pragiwaksono's Stand-Up Comedy: A Social Semiotic Analysis of Theo Van Leeuwen on the Stand-Up Performance 'Mulut Pandji Mata Najwa'

Ramdhan, Ali Muhammad
Yusanto, Feddy

Eduvest - Journal of Universal Studies
Vol. 5 No. 3 (2025): Eduvest - Journal of Universal Studies

Indonesia, as a democratic country, has seen a decline in political participation from its citizens in recent years. Stand-up comedy, as a medium of social criticism, holds significant potential to voice political issues in a light yet meaningful manner. This study analyzes how Pandji Pragiwaksono operates the power of knowledge through his stand-up comedy performance titled "Mulut Pandji Mata Najwa." Using Theo Van Leeuwen’s social semiotics theory, this research identifies four key dimensions: discourse, genre, style, and modality. The analysis focuses on how Pandji utilizes discourse to deliver social criticism, the stand-up comedy genre to convey complex messages in an entertaining way, and verbal and non-verbal communication styles. Additionally, the modality applied by Pandji strengthens the message delivery, encouraging the audience to reflect on political and social issues. This approach helps understand how power and knowledge are communicated through popular culture in Indonesia