Identity construction, lifestyle, and cultural narratives in Indonesian metropop novels
Downloads
This study addresses the limited scholarly attention given to Indonesian Metropop novels, a genre of popular fiction that has developed significantly since the 2000s. Despite its growing popularity, Metropop literature is frequently marginalized in academic discourse and considered inferior to works categorized as serious literature. Such perceptions overlook its contribution to the development of contemporary Indonesian literature and its role in reflecting changing urban cultural realities. This study examines how Indonesian Metropop novels represent and construct identity, lifestyle, and urban social dynamics through cultural narratives. Particular attention is paid to lifestyle as a symbolic practice through which individuals negotiate and express their social identities. The analysis also explores how class identity is articulated through representations of professional careers, consumption patterns, romantic relationships, and social mobility. The findings reveal that Metropop novels portray the complexities of urban life by illustrating the relationship between individual identity, lifestyle choices, and broader sociocultural transformations. These narratives reflect the values, aspirations, and ideological dimensions of modernity within contemporary Indonesian society. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that popular literature is not merely a form of entertainment but also a significant medium for representing cultural change and shaping social perceptions.
Abrams, M. H. (1971). A glossary of literary terms (3rd ed.). Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Abrams, M. H. (1979). The mirror and the lamp: Romantic theory and the critical tradition. Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1953)
Adi, I. R. (2011). Fiksi populer: Teori dan metode kajian [Popular fiction: Theory and methods of study]. Pustaka Pelajar.
Arriola, J. L. (2019). The literary roots of critical media studies. Forum for World Literature Studies, 11(3).
Arvanitaki, E. (2019). Postmillennial femininities in the popular romance novel. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2017.1368370
Barker, C. (2006). Cultural studies: Teori dan praktik [Cultural studies: Theory and practice] (Nurhadi, Trans.). Kreasi Wacana. (Original work published 2000)
Bastari, A. (2018). Resign!. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Bastari, A. (2020). Ganjil genap. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1971). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. Penguin Books. (Original work published 1966)
Chaney, D. (2003). Lifestyles: Sebuah pengantar komprehensif [Lifestyles: A comprehensive introduction] (Nuraeni, Trans.). Jalasutra. (Original work published 1996)
Damono, S. D. (1979). Sosiologi sastra: Sebuah pengantar ringkas [Sociology of literature: A brief introduction]. Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.
Dewojati, C. (2010). Wacana hedonisme dalam sastra Indonesia populer [The discourse of hedonism in Indonesian popular literature]. Pustaka Pelajar.
Dewojati, C. (2015). Sastra populer Indonesia [Indonesian popular literature]. Gadjah Mada University Press.
Enns, A., & Metz, B. (2015). Distinctions that matter: Popular literature and material culture. Belphégor, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.4000/belphegor.606
Faruk. (2001). Beyond imagination: Sastra mutakhir dan ideologi [Beyond imagination: Contemporary literature and ideology]. Gama Media.
Faruk. (2005). Pengantar sosiologi sastra: Dari strukturalisme genetik sampai post-modernisme [An introduction to the sociology of literature: From genetic structuralism to postmodernism]. Pustaka Pelajar.
Gelder, K. (2004). Popular fiction: The logics and practices of a literary field. Routledge.
Heryanto, A. (Ed.). (2012). Budaya populer di Indonesia: Mencairnya identitas pasca-Orde Baru [Popular culture in Indonesia: Fluid identities in post-New Order Indonesia]. Jalasutra.
Ibrahim, I. S. (Ed.). (2005). Lifestyle ecstasy: Kebudayaan pop dalam masyarakat komoditas Indonesia [Lifestyle ecstasy: Pop culture in Indonesia’s commodity society]. Jalasutra.
Jamaluddin, A. N. (2015). Sosiologi perkotaan: Memahami masyarakat kota dan problematikanya [Urban sociology: Understanding urban society and its problems]. Pustaka Setia.
Natassa, I. (2015). Critical eleven. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Storey, J. (2010). Cultural studies dan kajian budaya pop: Pengantar komprehensif teori dan metode [Cultural studies and the study of popular culture] (L. Rahmawati, Trans.). Jalasutra.
Strinati, D. (1995). An introduction to theories of popular culture. Routledge.
Copyright (c) 2026 Zulfadhli Zulfadhli, Muhammad Ismail Nasution, Farel Olva Zuve, Putri Dian Afrinda
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
