COLONIAL TRACES IN FICTION: HOMI K. BHABHA’S POST-COLONIAL ANALYSIS OF THE SHORT STORY COLLECTION "BEDIL PENEBUSAN" BY KIKI SULISTYO

Abstract

This study examines colonial traces in Kiki Sulistyo’s short story collection Bedil Penebusan through Homi K. Bhabha’s post-colonial perspective. Employing a qualitative approach, the study uses interpretive textual analysis through close reading and thematic coding to identify mimicry, ambivalence, and in-betweenness within the narratives. The findings indicate that colonial traces are reflected in the themes of power, social conflict, and the relationship between local communities and authority. In addition, the characters’ identities occupy an ambivalent position between traditional values and modern influences. This reflects the dynamic process of post-colonial identity formation through cultural negotiation. Therefore, the short story collection Bedil Penebusan portrays social conflict and reveals the enduring influence of the colonial legacy on identity and power relations in society. This study contributes to post-colonial literary criticism by demonstrating how local Indonesian narratives negotiate colonial memory and cultural identity through ambivalent characterization and hybrid social realities. Furthermore, the findings reinforce Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of cultural hybridity as a relevant framework for understanding the persistence of colonial discourse in contemporary Indonesian literary texts.