Discourse and Identity in the Indonesian Short Animation “Si Pitung”

This article discusses how discourse construction and Betawi identity were formed in the short animation Si Pitung produced by Kastari Sentra. Si Pitung is not only local folklore in Indonesia but also a symbol of the culture and identity of the Betawi people. Kastari Sentra was chosen as the research subject because it was a popular production house that consistently made historical and cultural animations specifically for children. The study used qualitative methods as a unit of interpretivism. Through textual analysis, the texts were employed as a basis for interpretation and correlated with the socio-culture in building discourse and Betawi identity. Laclau & Moufee's (2001) text analysis’s framework was used to examine the nodes between texts as constructs of discourse and identity. The analysis will unravel the idealistic constructions of the resulting cultural figures. The results of this study indicated that Si Pitung was represented as an ideal character of a hero who actedto carry out the values of justice and truth. Character idealism was formed through collective awareness and intensity in identifying local Betawi heroes. Subcultural conflicts that occur in the narrative were formed on social cognition to form heroism based on social imaginary. In addition, the short animation produced by the production house of Kastari Sentra used the Si Pitung folklore to maintain the local content of Betawi culture as well as to serve as preaching media.