Representation of Balinese Exoticism: Analysis of Inter-ethnic Relations Novels in Pre-independence Period

Here's the abstract:

This article discusses the representation of Bali in inter-ethnic relations novels by Indonesian authors published in the pre-independence period. The main question in this article is how is the representation of Bali in the inter-ethnic relations novels in the pre-independence period, and what is the historical, social context behind the representation? To answer the questions, a study was conducted on four Indonesian novels in the pre-independence period, namely Kintamani (1932) authored by Imam Soepardi, Lejak (1935) authored by Soe Lie Piet, I Swasta Setahun di Bedahulu (1938) authored by Anak Agung Pandji Tisna, and Djangir Bali (1942) authored by Nur Sultan Iskandar. The analysis was carried out using Stuart Hall's representation theory with Michel Foucault's discourse and descriptive-analytical methods. The research results show that novels on interethnic relations in the pre-independence period tend to represent Bali exotically. Such a representation places these novels to reinforce the dominant discourse on Balinese exoticism in the colonial era.