The existence of novels in the era of European colonialism was not only a source of education and application of ethical policies but also a means of spreading interests to change society’s cultural narrative. In Foucault’s perspective, the education discussed as a ‘return the favor’ did not necessarily free the people from illiteracy. Instead, it changes the community’s paradigm around Javanese culture itself. From the analysis of several novels published by Balai Poestaka, it was found that there was an attempt to lead public opinion in perceiving the value of kepriayian ‘virtue’ not from the genealogical ownership of royal nobles, but among clever people who have the right to determine their lives independently. Some female characters claimed to be more proud of their achievements as colonial employees with state-paid salaries or other stability indicators free from customary rules. From this analysis, education is a means of creating new social stratification and countering the traditional culture that is still developing. In the long run, education or skills produced a class of skilled workers who worked in the public sector under the rule of the colonial government itself.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2457220
Edy Nugroho, Y., Pardi, Widodo, S. T., Rahmawati, A., Zaman, S., & Nur Rokhim, M. (2025). The knowledge power behind the narative story of woman’s virtue in Javanese novel Balai Poestaka. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2025.2457220
