HUMANIKA
Vol 33, No 1 (2026): April

Dangdut Rakyat Melawan Hegemoni Keraton: Dekonstruksi Pertarungan Ideologis dalam Film Ambyar Mak Byar

Ilham Baskoro (Master of Literature and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya.)
Dimas Septo Nugroho (Master'
s Program of Political Science, Faculty of Social and Politic, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya)

Diah Ariani Arimbi (Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga)
Johny Alfian Khusyairi (Department of Historical Science, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Apr 2026

Abstract

This study critically examines Ambyar Mak Byar as ideological contestation between people’s dangdut culture and the hegemonic authority of the Javanese Keraton through Jacques Derrida’s deconstructive framework. Focusing on logosentrism, binary oppositions, différance, and narrative deconstruction, this research analyses how this movie represents commoner–aristocracy relationship as an unstable, continuously negotiated construction, albeit wrapped in comedic form. The findings indicate that dangdut is framed as a symbol of spontaneity and egalitarianism, while the keraton is portrayed as a fragile center of authority undergoing image modernization. The cross-class romance narrative functions to normalize Javanese noble–commoner relations while simultaneously concealing the keraton’s internal structural tensions in a manner reminiscent of cultural propaganda. The analysis demonstrates that this film deploys strategies of depoliticization and cultural soft-power to positioning keraton as a progressive institution, thereby destabilizing established symbolic hierarchies. This study contributes new perspectives to understanding cultural representation politics in contemporary Javanese society within Indonesian cinema.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

humanika

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Humanika ISSN 2502-5783 (online), ISSN 1412-9418 (print) is an open access and peer-reviewed journal published by Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University, Indonesia. This Journal published twice a year (January-June and July-December).The scope of journal is: Literature, Linguistics, History, ...