Nationalism Discourse in Es Ito’s Negara Kelima

The discourse of nationalism is present not only in classic, or 'high' literature, but also in products of popular literature such as crime fiction, which provides a 'deep look' at the culture of everyday life. This paper addresses one popular work of Indonesian crime fiction, Es Ito's Negara Kelima (The Fifth State, 2005). Ito, popularly known as an Indonesian writer of crime fiction, is interesting as his work blends historical ingredients and legends into its crime plots. The historical insight embedded in the story-telling tradition, combined with the concept of the ideal state and contemporary issue of terrorism, makes his crime fiction worthy of attention. This paper focuses on the discourse of nationalism, its presentation in the novel through characters' interactions and perspectives in dealing with the conflict they face. It will do so using Fairclough's critical discourse analysis, which highlight analysis at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. At the micro level, it deals with linguistic devices; at the macro level, it examines the social political context; and at the mezzo level it deals with discursive analysis, bridging the micro and macro, the consumption and production of the text. Negara Kelima tells of the murders of high school girls as well as the investigation into a radical group. This investigation examines the mystery of the first state, second state, third state, fourth state, and fifth state, and unravelling this mystery will lead to understanding the group's goals and agenda. This paper focuses on how the discourse of nationalism is constructed within the novel. It reveals that the discourse of nationalism is highlighted through the perspective of the young policeman Timur Mangkuto and the radical group members. Nationalism, the sense of being united in one nation, emerges in this novel through the characters' dynamic relationships. In the main character's The discourse of nationalism is present not only in classic, or 'high' literature, but also in products of popular literature such as crime fiction, which provides a 'deep look' at the culture of everyday life. This paper addresses one popular work of Indonesian crime fiction, Es Ito's Negara Kelima (The Fifth State, 2005). Ito, popularly known as an Indonesian writer of crime fiction, is interesting as his work blends historical ingredients and legends into its crime plots. The historical insight embedded in the story-telling tradition, combined with the concept of the ideal state and contemporary issue of terrorism, makes his crime fiction worthy of attention. This paper focuses on the discourse of nationalism, its presentation in the novel through characters' interactions and perspectives in dealing with the conflict they face. It will do so using Fairclough's critical discourse analysis, which highlight analysis at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. At the micro level, it deals with linguistic devices; at the macro level, it examines the social political context; and at the mezzo level it deals with discursive analysis, bridging the micro and macro, the consumption and production of the text. Negara Kelima tells of the murders of high school girls as well as the investigation into a radical group. This investigation examines the mystery of the first state, second state, third state, fourth state, and fifth state, and unravelling this mystery will lead to understanding the group's goals and agenda. This paper focuses on how the discourse of nationalism is constructed within the novel. It reveals that the discourse of nationalism is highlighted through the perspective of the young policeman Timur Mangkuto and the radical group members. Nationalism, the sense of being united in one nation, emerges in this novel through the characters' dynamic relationships. In the main character'