The paradigm concept of Javanese’ Anak Polah Bapa Kepradhah in the story of Murwakala: Lévi-Strauss structuralism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33153/glr.v21i2.4901Keywords:
Structuralism, Lévi-Strauss, Murwakala, Folklore, MythAbstract
Indonesia harbors diverse oral traditions, with a particular focus on Javanese traditions. Studies on oral traditions, especially those related to geguritan (poems), stories, and songs, often lean towards aesthetic analyses. However, there remains untapped potential for exploration, such as the exploration of local cultural elements underlying the contradictions in folklore. This article aims to elucidate these contradictions and delineate the paradigmatic concept of “anak polah bapa kepradhah” within the narrative of “Murwakala.” Conducted as a descriptive-qualitative study, this research employs Lévi-Strauss structuralism as a framework for interpreting, mapping and attributing meaning to empirical paradigms embedded in societal concepts. The objective is to address the contradictions and logical patterns inherent in society. Data for this study are derived from the observation of Javanese oral traditions related to wong sukerta. These observations are then juxtaposed with the narrative of “Murwakala,” as presented in the wayang performance of the ruwatan tradition, with a specific focus on the Javanese “anak polah bapa kepradhah” concept/value. The depth of meaning is further explored through the use of tables and diagrams. From a Lévi-Straussian perspective, it can be concluded that “Murwakala” and its associated value concept serve as logical tools capable of mapping paradigms, deciphering empirical contradictions (related to family relationships and power), and representing these dynamics in the cultural products and thoughts of Javanese society, both historically and in the contemporary context.Downloads
References
L. Mariani, “Ritus Ruwatan Murwakala di Surakarta,” Umbara Indones. J. Anthropol., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 43–56, Mar. 2017, doi: 10.24198/umbara.v1i1.9603.
Dewi Ayu Wisnu Wardani, “Ritual Ruwatan Murwakala dalam Religiusitas Masyarakat Jawa,” Widya Aksara J. Agama Hindu, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 1–16, Mar. 2020, doi: 10.54714/widyaaksara.v25i1.62.
J. J. Ras, “The social function and cultural significance of the Javanese Wayang Purwa theatre,” Indones. Circle. Sch. Orient. African Stud. Newsl., vol. 10, no. 29, pp. 19–32, Nov. 1982, doi: 10.1080/03062848208729530.
R. Launay, “Is Lévi-Strauss Still Good to Think?,” Rev. Anthropol., vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 38–49, Jan. 2013, doi: 10.1080/00938157.2013.765762.
E. Kurzweil, The Age of Structuralism. Routledge, 2017. doi: 10.4324/9781351305846
C. I. Lehrich, “Overture and Finale: Lévi-Strauss, Music, and Religion,” Method Theory Study Relig., vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 305–325, 2011, doi: 10.1163/157006811X608403.
M. McKeon, “The ‘Marxism’ of Claude Levi-Strauss,” Dialect. Anthropol., vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 123–150, Dec. 1981, doi: 10.1007/BF02078626.
V. Debaene and C. Vial, “Lévi-Strauss: What Legacy?,” Yale French Stud., no. 123, pp. 14–40, 2013.
L. Kaufmann, “Reference Models for Transmitting Knowledge,” in Rural-Urban Migration and Agro-Technological Change in Post-Reform China, Amsterdam University Press, 2021, pp. 145–166. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1hp5hkt.7
H. C. White, “Methaphor and Myth: Percy, Ricoeur, and Fyre,” in A Wise and Discerning Mind: Essays in Honor of Burke O. Long, S. M. Olyan and R. C. Culley, Eds. Brown Judaic Studies, 2020, pp. 245–270. doi: 10.2307/j.ctvzgb93t.24
Francisco Vaz da Silva, “Narrative Cultures in the Mirror,” Narrat. Cult., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 85–108, 2014, doi: 10.13110/narrcult.1.1.0085.
Istanti Fatkhul Janah, “Relevansi antara Nilai Pendidikan dalam Cerita Rakyat Golan Mirah dengan Pitutur Jawa serta Implemetasinya di Era 4.0,” J. Educ. Learn. Sci., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 14–26, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.56404/jels.v1i1.5.
G. Riyanto, “Myth as Argument, Mythmaking as Field of Play,” Z. Ethnol., no. 2, pp. 153–170, 2018.
L. Budhi, S. Subiyantoro, A. Wahida, and S. Sularso, “The role of symbolism in moral education: a study of the ruwat murwakala ritual,” Gelar J. Seni Budaya, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 11–23, 2023, doi: 10.33153/glr.v21i1.5072.
L. Budhi, S. Subiyantoro, and A. Wahida, “Ruwat Murwakala ritual: transmission of educational value through the traditional performing arts and its relevance with the implementation of the concept of merdeka belajar.,” Int. J. Vis. Perform. Arts, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 77–88, 2022, doi: 10.31763/viperarts.v4i2.808.
M. Maryano, I. B. G. Y. Triguna, and I. W. B. Utama, “Ruwatan Murwakala on religious and cultural perspective,” Int. J. Health Sci. (Qassim)., vol. 6, no. 7, pp. 127–146, Jul. 2022, doi: 10.53730/ijhs.v6n7.10914.
C. Robcis, “Lévi-Strauss’s Structuralist Social Contract,” Yale French Stud., no. 123, pp. 145–165, 2013.
D. G. Mandelbaum, “Myths and Myth Maker: Some Anthropological Appraisals of the Mythological Studies of Levi-Strauss,” Ethnology, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 31–36, Jan. 1987, doi: 10.2307/3773414.
Z. Chowdhury, “Claude Lévi-Strauss’s Population Figures,” Getty Res. J., vol. 17, pp. 107–124, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1086/724140.
J.-F. Santucci, A. Doja, and L. Capocchi, “A Discrete-Event Simulation of Claude Lévi-Strauss’ Structural Analysis of Myths Based on Symmetry and Double Twist Transformations,” Symmetry (Basel)., vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 1–23, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.3390/sym12101706.
E. D. Barajas, “Proverbs in the Academy: A Folklore Studies Activity for the Writing Classroom,” J. Am. Folk., vol. 130, no. 517, pp. 335–352, Jul. 2017, doi: 10.5406/jamerfolk.130.517.0335.
Y. Y. Taum, Studi sastra lisan: Sejarah, teori, metode, dan pendekatan disertai contoh penerapannya. Yogyakarta: Lamalera, 2011.
S. Masitoh, “Teks lakon Murwakala pada upacara ruwatan di Nganjuk versi Ki Suprapto, Hs: Transkripsi, struktur, dan makna.” Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, 2016.
D. Pramayoza, “Melihat Teks Lakon sebagai Mitos: Analisis Drama dengan Strukturalisme Levi-Strauss,” Melayu Arts Perform. J., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 114–129, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.26887/mapj.v4i2.978.
F. S. N. Thomas Hylland Eriksen, “The Power of Symbols,” in A History of Anthropology, Pluto Press, 2015, pp. 120–137. doi: 10.2307/j.ctt183gzx9.11
L. Rock, “Family Heroes between Myth and Storytelling,” in As German as Kafka, Leuven University Press, 2019, pp. 199–284. doi: 10.2307/j.ctvss3xg0.8
W. Mieder, “‘The Dynamic Qualities of Proverbs in Performance’: Roger Abrahams’ Pioneering Contributions to Paremiology,” Western Folklore. JSTOR, pp. 397–420, 2016.
H. S. Ahimsa-Putra, Strukturalisme Levi-Strauss: mitos dan karya sastra. Yogyakarta: Galang Press, 2001.
F. A. Geisshuesler, “De-historification (1944–1948): Shamanic Magic and the Dialectic Movement between Mircea Eliade and Claude Lévi-Strauss,” in The Life and Work of Ernesto De Martino, BRILL, 2021, pp. 67–91. doi: 10.1163/9789004457720_006
M. Hénaff and R. Doran, “Living with others: Reciprocity and alterity in Lévi-Strauss,” Yale French Stud., no. 123, pp. 63–82, 2013.
F. El Guindi, “Properties of Kinship Structure: Transformational Dynamics of Suckling, Adoption and Incest,” in Focality and Extension in Kinship: Essays in Memory of Harold W. Scheffler, ANU Press, 2018, pp. 177–201. doi: 10.22459/FEK.04.2018.05
Á. Fernández-Llamazares et al., “Scientists’ Warning to Humanity on Threats to Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems,” J. Ethnobiol., vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 144–169, Jul. 2021, doi: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.2.144.
Deon Liebenberg, “The Rainbow-Snake and the Birds’ Plumage: An Exploration of the Theme of the Continuous and the Discrete in Claude Lévi-Strauss's Mythologiques,” J. Folk. Res., vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 167–203, 2016, doi: 10.2979/jfolkrese.53.3.03.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright
Authors who publish with Gelar: Jurnal Seni Budaya agrees to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
