Journal of Multidisciplinary Sustainability Asean
Vol. 2 No. 3 (2025)

Local Literature’s Role In Raising Environmental Awareness: An Ecocritical Study Of Indonesian Texts

Abdurahman Abdurahman (Universitas Negeri Padang)
Dedi Gunawan Saputra (Universitas Negeri Makassar)
Silva Fitri (Yayasan Adra Karima Hubbi)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 Jun 2025

Abstract

Background: Indonesia faces acute environmental crises, including deforestation and marine pollution, which are often disconnected from public discourse. While policy-based solutions are widely discussed, the potential of local literature as a vehicle for shaping ecological consciousness and fostering environmental ethics remains significantly underexplored in academic research. Purpose: This research aims to analyze the specific ecocritical strategies employed in contemporary Indonesian literary texts and to evaluate their effectiveness in raising environmental awareness and critiquing anthropocentric paradigms. Methods: An ecocritical textual analysis was employed as the primary research method. The study analyzed a purposive selection of prominent Indonesian novels and short stories published post-2000 that explicitly engage with themes of ecological degradation, local wisdom (kearifan lokal), and human-nature relationships. Results: The analysis reveals that these texts utilize distinct narrative techniques such as adopting non-human perspectives, invoking indigenous ecological knowledge, and portraying visceral environmental disasters to cultivate empathy. These strategies effectively translate complex ecological data into relatable affective experiences, challenging developmentalist narratives. Conclusion: Contemporary Indonesian literature functions as a vital and potent medium for environmental advocacy. By grounding ecological crises in local cultural contexts, these texts bypass defensive skepticism and successfully foster a critical environmental awareness that policy-making and scientific data alone often fail to achieve.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

multidisciplinary

Publisher

Subject

Computer Science & IT Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Library & Information Science Other

Description

Journal of Multidisciplinary Sustainability Asean is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to facilitating the exchange of results of high-quality research in all aspects of all areas of knowledge. The scope of the Journal of Multidisciplinary Sustainability Asean is not only in the form ...