Queens in Thailand and Indonesia: Between fiction and history
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This research aims to analyze the representation of queens in literary and historical texts, uncover the relationship between fictional constructions and historical facts, and explain how these narratives shape the legitimacy of power, cultural identity, and collective memory of the community. This research uses qualitative methods with Julia Kristeva's intertextual approach, comparative-historical, and library research. The data were analyzed using Julia Kristeva's intertextual and comparative analysis. The results of this study indicate that the Hikayat Patani represents the Queens of Patani through a combination of historical facts, palace traditions, dynastic legitimacy, and mythological elements that reinforce the kingdom's political authority. In contrast, the narratives of Queen Kalinyamat and Queen Kencana Wungu emphasize political leadership, government strategy, diplomacy, and moral fortitude, supported by historiographical sources, although both have also undergone a process of idealization in literary and cultural traditions. A comparison of these two traditions demonstrates that fiction and history are not mutually exclusive entities, but rather complement each other in shaping the image of women as leaders, legitimizing power, and constructing the cultural identity of Southeast Asian societies. This study contributes to the development of comparative historiography, historical literary studies, and studies of women's leadership in Southeast Asia.
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