Sintesa
Vol. 5 No. 01 (2026): Jurnal Sintesa Volume 5 No 01 Januari 2026

MITOS THE LOYAL NATIVE DAN NETRALISASI KOLONIALISME DALAM DOCUDRAMA KRAKATOA

Cherry Kartika (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
07 Feb 2026

Abstract

This study analyzes the BBC docu-drama film, Krakatoa: The Last Days (2006), to uncover its strategy of postcolonial representation. Employing Roland Barthes' Semiotics to identify the underlying myth and the concept of The Sublime, the focus is on the narrative markers of Willem Beijerinck (the colonial figure) and Tokaya (the loyal and intelligent native clerk). The analysis reveals that the film strategically leverages the Myth of The Loyal Native (Tokaya) – an intelligent yet subordinate native – to neutralize racial and political conflicts. This representation, paired with the Individual Humanization of Willem, functions to shift the main conflict focus from the Colonial Hierarchy to the Universal Tragedy brought by nature (The Great Equalizer). This ideological neutralization strategy subtly justifies global empathy for the colonial protagonist's narrative and softens overall criticism of the colonial structure. The findings confirm that the Tokaya character serves as narrative 'proof' that not all colonial relationships are cruel, diverting focus from structural crimes toward human helplessness in the face of nature.Keywords: Barthesian Semiotics; The Loyal Native; The Great Equalizer; Krakatoa; Colonialism

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Journal Info

Abbrev

sintesa

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Environmental Science Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences Other

Description

Jurnal Sintesa is a peer-reviewed journal, published by Masters Degree of Communication Science at Post-Graduate Studies Social Politic Faculty Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya. Sintesa Journal publish twice a year (February and August ). Sintesa Journal was first published in 2023. Jurnal ...