Why Does Your Servant Ride a Bicycle and Wear European Trousers?: Clothing and Colonialism in 21st Century Indonesian Literature

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-140-1_5How to use a DOI?

Keywords

bicycle; clothing; Iksaka Banu; Indonesia; postcolonial

Abstract

As a physical practice, clothing plays a significant role in shaping one’s identity, particularly in postcolonial Indonesia where this identity is often subject to contestation. In the turn of the centuries, the Indies was a society defined by appearances. This emphasis on external looks underscores how surface impressions can deeply influence how individuals are perceived and treated in society, creating an unpredictable dynamic in social interactions. This dynamic is explored in Iksaka Banu’s short story “Di Atas Kereta Angin” (“On the Wind Train”, 2019), where clothing is a pivotal element in the contestation of colonial Javanese society during the early 20th century. The story revolves around a debate between two Dutchmen regarding a native servant’s choice to wear European clothing while riding a bicycle. Through this narrative, Banu presents how everyday events involving clothing and technology contribute to shaping perceptions about colonial identity, which remains unstable for both the oppressed and the oppressor. By focusing on the Dutch characters’ argument, the author aims to convey the complexity and subtleties of history.

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Aldi Aditya
AU  - Aditia Muara Padiatra
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/11/07
TI  - Why Does Your Servant Ride a Bicycle and Wear European Trousers?: Clothing and Colonialism in 21st Century Indonesian Literature
BT  - Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Language, Linguistics, and Literature (COLALITE 2023)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 40
EP  - 48
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-140-1_5
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-140-1_5
ID  - Aditya2023
ER  -