Abstract
Children’s books about Indonesia published in the United States 1960-1980. The purpose of this study was to look at the image of Indonesia as presented in children’s literature published in the United States. The study focused upon the evaluative tone and the accuracy with which people in Indonesia are portrayed. Nineteen books (seven fi ctions, eight non-fi ctions, and four folktales) about Indonesia published between 1960 and 1980 constituted the sample of this study. In order to assess the quantitative portrayal of Indonesians in children’s books, the Evaluation Coeffi cient Analysis was used. A qualitative analysis was done using three evaluative criteria. The analysis of the data revealed that quantitatively, the books studied generally were positive in dealing with the image of Indonesians. Qualitatively, the fi ndings were interesting. Six books contained strong Western bias in measuring and depicting Indonesian people, and presenting the country in a negative tone as well. Stories and information about the picturesque and exotic predominated. Some otherwise fi ne books were spoiled by overgeneralization, stereotyping and inaccuracies in the text, illustration, and caption.
Bahasa Abstract
Penelitian ini hendak mengenali citra orang Indonesia seperti tampak dalam bacaan anak terbitan Ameriksa Serikat dan memfokuskan perhatiannya pada nada evaluatif dan keakuratan penggambarannya. Sembilan belas buku (tujuh fi ksi, delapan non-fi ksi, dan empat cerita rakyat) tentang Indonesia yang diterbitkan antara 1960 dan 1980 menjadi sampel penelitian. Untuk menemukan penggambaran orang Indonesia dalam bacaan anak secara kuantitatif, digunakan instrumen Evaluation Coeffi cient Analysis, dan analisis kualitatifnya dilaksanakan dengan menggunakan tiga kriteria evaluasi. Analisis data menunjukkan bahwa secara kuantitatif, buku yang diteliti umumnya menggambarkan Indonesia dengan positif. Namun secara kualitatif, enam buku menggunakan bias barat dalam mengukur dan menggambarkan orang Indonesia, serta mempresentasikan Indonesia dengan nada yang negatif. Cerita dan informasi sangat dikuasai oleh dan tentang hal yang eksotik dan indah belaka. Beberapa buku yang sebenarnya baik diracuni overgeneralisasi, ukuran stereotip, dan ketidakakuratan dalam teks, ilustrasi, dan caption.
Recommended Citation
Sarumpaet, R. T. (2002). Bacaan Anak Tentang Indonesia Terbitan Amerika Serikat 1960-1980. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 6(1), 20-25. https://doi.org/10.7454/mssh.v6i1.26