The Construction of Eastern Indonesian Women's Identity as an Affirmation of Local Identity in Popular Songs from Eastern Indonesia
Keywords:
Eastern Indonesian Women, Identity Construction, Local Identity Affirmation, Popular Music, Cultural RepresentationAbstract
Study examines the construction of Eastern Indonesian women's identity as an affirmation of local identity in popular songs from Eastern Indonesia. The research employed a qualitative approach using cultural text analysis. The data consisted of lyrics from ten popular Eastern Indonesian songs selected based on their popularity across digital platforms between June 2025 and June 2026. Data were collected through documentation techniques and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, supported by bell hooks’ theory of representation and Judith Butler’s concept of identity construction. The findings reveal that Eastern Indonesian women's identity is constructed through two dominant forms of representation: physical identity and cultural identity. Physical identity is represented through markers such as dark skin, curly hair, prominent cheeks, and sweet smiles, while cultural identity is represented through Eastern regional identity, ethnocultural identity, and local cultural practices such as belis. The study concludes that popular songs from Eastern Indonesia function as cultural spaces that affirm local identity by positively reinterpreting the physical and cultural characteristics associated with Eastern Indonesian women.
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