Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia
Vol. 23, No. 2

Assalamualaikum Bejing Repackaged: Habitus, Symbolic Power and Indonesian Cultural Production

Adji, Alberta Natasia (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Dec 2019

Abstract

This article explores the adaptation of Asma Nadia’s Assalamualaikum Beijing from novel to film to comic book as the reproduction of symbolic cultural goods. According to Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, people are conditioned to perform repetitive acts devoid of any preceeding consideration or deliberation, while symbolic power represents the tacit modes of social/cultural domination ingrained and preserved through everyday social practices. Taking a sociology of literature approach, this study discovers that the habitus of the Indonesian canon literary tradition has hindered contemporary literary works from achieving the same level of legitimacy through the boundary work performed by literary awards. Contemporary pop authors, who rarely win these awards, have set up a new standard through which they can gain influential status over the Indonesian field of cultural production through the repeated “repackaging” of their literary works. In addition, the study finds that Asma Nadia’s use of Beijing as the setting for her work is represents her desire to introduce the existence of Islam in China, while implicitly hinting at “a solution” to the problematic existence of Chinese Indonesians who can only be “fixed” through religious conversion.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

publication:hubsasia

Publisher

Subject

Description

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia or Makara Hubs-Asia is a regional journal that seeks to advance understanding of human behavior in the context of Asia through the publication of empirical research articles that may stimulate further research. The word Makara symbolizes the emblem of the ...