{"title":"FIGHTING FOR WOMEN EXISTENCE IN POPULAR ESPIONAGE MOVIES SALT (2010) AND ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012)","authors":"Benita Amalina","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.47824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.47824","url":null,"abstract":"American spy movies have been considered one of the most profitable genre in Hollywood. These spy movies frequently create an assumption that this genre is exclusively masculine, as women have been made oblivious and restricted to either supporting roles or non-spy roles. In 2010 and 2012, portrayal of women in spy movies was finally changed after the release of Salt and Zero Dark Thirty, in which women became the leading spy protagonists. Through the post-nationalist American Studies perspective, this study discusses the importance of both movies in reinventing women’s identity representation in a masculine genre in response to the evolving American society. Keywords: American women, hegemony, representation, Hollywood, movies, popular culture","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115543166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"MODERATE ISLAM AND ITS RELEVANCE IN THE POST 9/11 AMERICA AS IMPLIED IN IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF’S MOVING","authors":"Rifka Pratama","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34270","url":null,"abstract":"American Muslim is one of some existing religious minorities in America. Despite of minority, this religious group has been long, some believed it has been even since the Columbus exploration, living in the country. As time goes, the American Muslims are able to blend with American Society. These Muslim individuals are found in many fields of life of American, such as social, economic, education, and even politics in America. This condition is anyway worth appreciating as the struggle of American Muslims for their existence is not something simple and easy. Apart from the reality, the deadly attacks of 9/11, to some extent, has put American Muslims to be objects of suspicions. Soon after the tragedy, Muslims in many occasions are prejudiced as harsh, and of course, terrorists. These suspicions and prejudice have been, in fact, long found in the middle of American society pre-9/11 attacks. However, the tragedy aggravates the status quo of the American Muslims and it soon creates the worst point of so-called Islamophobia. In response to this phenomenon, many American Muslims start to deliver counters in various ways and media. Among the American Muslim figures, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, an American Muslim activist and leader, actively brushes off the bad images of Islam, especially regarding the 9/11 tragedy. Through his book entitled “Moving the Mountain: beyond Ground Zero to a New Vision of Islam in America”, Rauf explains his views on Islam. This book also implies counters to the so-called phenomena of Islamophobia. On the other hand, Moderate Islam contains the same spirits with Rauf’s Moving the Mountain. It offers the spirit of moderation in understanding and practicing Islam. Both the ideas in turn are able to counter Islamophobia in America, especially in post 9/11 America.Keyword: American Muslims, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Moving the Mountain,Islamophobia, Moderate Islam","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"105 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131504135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Formulating Black Womanhood: A Study on Beyoncé’s Hip-Hop Song Lyrics in Beyoncé Platinum Edition Album","authors":"Ika Ayu Larasati","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34267","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34267","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims at understanding the Black womanhood concept through Hip-Hop song lyrics, since song lyrics are not only a part of art but also a media to express people’s feelings, education, therapy and entertainment. This article also helps the readers to understand that sexuality portrayed in Hip-Hop song lyrics stands for something and has a function because music is related to the social background, message, function, and effect generated from the artwork.The qualitative method and interdisciplinary approach are used in conducting this article, which involves the literature, history, culture, sociology, and to enhance the understanding of multi-ethnic America, especially about Black womanhood. The article starts with introduction, a discussion about African American culture in general. To produce an up to date writing, the article choses the recent popular singer, Beyonce. In finding Black womanhood concepts in Beyonce’s lyrics. One thing that also needs to be highlighted is Black women’s sexuality.The findings are about Black womanhood from Beyonce’s standpoint, such as the Black woman’s self-definition, the sisterhood, the relationship between mother and daughter, and the relationship with Black men. In addition, since it highlights the Black woman’s sexuality in Hip-Hop that is based on Beyonce’s songs, it indicates that recently Black women began to realize that they have power over their own body.Keywords: Black womanhood, sexuality, Hip-Hop music, Lyrics","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124930912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"MS. MARVEL AS A REPRESENTATION OF THE STRUGGLE FOR AMERICAN IDENTITY","authors":"A. Paramita","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.44368","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.44368","url":null,"abstract":"In early 2014, Marvel Comics released a new series called Ms. Marvel. The main character of this series is a Pakistani-American Muslim girl named Kamala Khan. Her story is a breakthrough against the negative representation of Islam in the Western world, especially after 9/11. This research examines five issues taken from the first volume of the Ms. Marvel comic book series. The paper discusses the reason why this series is substantial in the struggle of Muslim immigrants to survive as a minority group in the United States. The results show that Ms. Marvel serves as a medium of communication for the under-represented American Muslim community. Furthermore, by accepting the new superhero, the American society itself has also transformed and it is beginning to adapt to the idea that Muslim immigrants are members of their society.Keywords: Muslim, superhero, comic book, identity, popular culture","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"64 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114197229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CONTESTATION BETWEEN GLOBAL AND LOCAL IN MANGGARAI RAP MUSIC","authors":"A. Yuliantari","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.34248","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.34248","url":null,"abstract":"Globalization causes the spread of pop culture beyond geographical boundaries. Rap music as a form of pop culture spread around the world in the 1990s through the mass media that was driven by the transnational music industry. Its popularity was not just happened in big cities, but in peripheral regions like in Manggarai of East Nusa Tenggara as well.This article uses the transnational concept in American studies and theory of landscape advanced by Arjun Appadurai. The concept of Transnational American Studies is used to analyze the influence of American culture beyond its territory, while the theory of landscape is used to analyze the conflicts that occured between the global and the local rap music in Manggarai music spaces.This analysis shows that the process of appropriation carried out by local rapper against global rap music is a form of negotiation to adapt to local tastes as well as of creativity to face global music. The strategies undertaken in the struggle for spaces of music can be seen in the form of themes, language, dialect, or mode of production. Contestation between the global and the local is always transformed through the development of music consumers in the area.Keywords: Contestation, Rap, Transnational, Globalization","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126365642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"AMERICAN AND INDONESIAN SITCOMS: A TRANSNATIONAL ANALYSIS ON “FRIENDS” AND INDONESIAN SITCOMS","authors":"Teguh Puja Pramadya","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34271","url":null,"abstract":"The fact that Indonesia adopts many programs from American popular culture, especially the situation comedy format, makes reruns and reduplications at the national level, and makes them into primetime programs on most of the private television at stations demonstrates the strength of American cultural influence in Indonesia. Although, there are differences and adjustments in some parts of the program, modifying to the culture and customs of the people of Indonesia. The question arises, whether the entertainment producers in Indonesia nowadays were deliberately imitating and duplicating some imported variety and comedy format for the sake of popularity in public television in Indonesia or whether the traditional format of comedy in Indonesia is now being replaced with variety and comedy formats imported from America.This study is carried out in the framework of American Studies. To carry out the analysis, the writer made use of the grounded research and comparative study approach and Stuart Hall's theory of representation, to see the scope for negotiation and opposition on the part of the audience as an active part of the media consumption and how audience members make meanings and understand reality through their use of cultural symbols in both print and visual media. The object of the study is limited to the representation in Friends, as an example of an American sitcom, and to the representation in four Indonesian sitcoms, namely Keluarga Masa Kini, Tetangga Masa Gitu, Saya Terima Nikahnya and The East.The findings of selected episodes in Friends and Indonesian sitcoms, indicate some similarities and differences towards the trends that sitcoms have used. It is likely that American and Indonesian sitcoms use almost the same conventions of sitcom narrative, but, they also show some differences towards the content of the show, several changes and transformations in the narrative structures can be seen, especially in terms of the locality of each sitcom in depicting the values from the social and cultural construction where the sitcom is made. Another important thing to be taken into account is the way each society has a different construction of gender roles and sexuality, family values and so on, that lead to a different cultural product although they use and share the same conventions and characteristics of the sitcom.Keywords: sitcom, representation, social construction, gender, family","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"78 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131689621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"NEGOTIATION OF IDENTITY IN DIASPORIC LITERATURE: A CASE STUDY ON AMY TAN’S THE HUNDRED SECRET SENSES AND LESLIE MARMON SILKO’S CEREMONY","authors":"Ken Ruri Nindyasmara","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.47838","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i1.47838","url":null,"abstract":"Negotiation of identity has become an important issue because its never-ending process always relates to conflicts, differences and similarities. Chinese Americans and Native Americans are two distinct diasporic communities amongst other ethnic group in the U.S. As minorities, they experience prejudice, discrimination and exclusion from mainstream American culture and society. This research aims to reveal the negotiation of identity of Chinese Americans and Native Americans which is reflected on their literature. Literature is seen as the record of diasporic experience of both ethnic groups. This research is qualitative conducted under Post-Nationalist American Studies. Post-colonial, hegemony and representation theories are used to help the process of data analysis. The primary data is taken from The Hundred Secret Senses written by Amy Tan and Ceremony written by Leslie Marmon Silko. The secondary data are taken from books, journals, and internet sources. The finding of the research shows that Chinese Americans and Native Americans negotiate their identity by choosing or combining competing values. The construction of identity is done through the reenactment of ethnic root and the adaptation to mainstream American cultural values. Sense of belongingness, history and socio-cultural background become the determining factors of identity negotiation. In brief, they construct hybrid identity to survive and to counter American hegemony. Compared to Native Americans, Chinese Americans are more blending to mainstream American culture. However, both novels depict their hybrid identity. Keywords: identity negotiation, diasporic literature, diaspora communities, hegemony, hybrid identity","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"96 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126831851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"SERIAL KILLER IN POPULAR LITERATURE: A FORMULA ANALYSIS OF HANNIBAL LECTER SERIES","authors":"Dian Nur Endah","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34266","url":null,"abstract":"Using textual analysis, this research attempts to find out the formula of Hannibal Lecter novels. These formula is analyzed and studied to acquire convention and invention in Hannibal Lecter characterization compared to other serial killer fictions. These two aspects are the foremost things that enable Hannibal Lecter novel series become acceptable and popular in American society. The result of this research is that there are some aspects in Hannibal Lecter characterization that are defined as convention of serial killer genre; 1) depiction of serial killer as white male, 2) depiction of serial killer as being highly intelligent and strong. Meanwhile, aspects that show invention of serial killer characerization are; 1) Depiction of serial killer as person who commits killing to bad people, 2) Performing cannibalism practice as civilized action, 3) Being woman lover, not misogynist, and 4) Being sociable man.Keywords: serial killer, formula, convention, invention, crimes","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133625643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"HIP HOP AS A REFLECTION OF AMERICAN VALUES: A SEMIOTICS ANALYSIS ON SAVE THE LAST DANCE AND STEP UP MOVIES","authors":"Naris Eka Setyawati","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34268","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34268","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines seven movies that are based on characters created by Duane Adler. They are two Save the Last Dance and five Step Up movies. This discussion is a library research which is conducted within the framework of American Studies approach under the scope of history, social, and culture. This research uses Barthes’ semiotics theory on myth to analyze the depiction of American phenomena in the movies.The objectives of this study are to examine the portrayal of Hip Hop in United States of America and to analyze the reflection of American values through movies. The discussions on the topic reveal that Hip Hop becomes the source for movies’ narratives. It is manifested in hip hop related scenes of the movies. They portray signs of rebellion and juvenile delinquency in the first order-semiological system. These portrayals reflect American values of rebellion and freedom. Moreover, life struggle and American belief in the land of opportunity play the signs in Barthes’ second order-semiological system. The American values reflected through the discussions are competitiveness, hard work, determined, optimism, and materialism.Keywords: Hip Hop, hip hop, popular culture, semiotics, American values","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122138175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"REFORMULATING DRACULA IN THE EARLY 21ST CENTURY: GENRE ANALYSIS OF 24 VAMPIRE FILMS","authors":"Nofiyanti Fuanda","doi":"10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22146/rubikon.v3i2.34269","url":null,"abstract":"The vampire is a phenomenon in western literature and culture. As many literary works featuring vampire are produced every year and continue to interest of the audiences, the creature becomes even embedded in the heart of not only western people, but also most people in the world. Currently, the researches on the creature either as a part of the myth or a character in literary works is so booming. They conclude that there is transformation of vampire both in myth and literary work. The research on literary works mostly generalizes vampire and Dracula as similar terms referring to blood sucker in general. In fact, those two terms actually refer to different signifieds. Therefore, this research aims to discuss specifically the development of literary works, especially films featuring the Dracula character since Stoker’s story is still adapted in the current era. The discussion focuses on the conventions and inventions of Dracula films in the early twenty first century and how those new formulas are related to the social background. This research is qualitative research and data are collected from the library. In addition, the basic theory used is genre analysis which situates texts within textual and social contexts. In the field of American Studies, such analysis is relevant to McDowell’s theory of “past, present and future” which supports interdisciplinary studies of time development.As the finding of the research on twenty four films produced during 2000 to 2014 the researcher concludes that most of them mix the elements of some genres. There are eleven pure horror Dracula films, eight horror action, two horror drama, one horror adventure, one horror sci-fi, and one horror romance. Furthermore, the researcher found five formula inventions including: 1. the shifting themes which include the emergence of science and the blurring of sexuality; 2. the variation of the stereotypical characters which includes the turn of the villain into hero and the challenge of women as heroes; 3. the changing motive; 4. the variation of setting, and 5. the replacement of properties. In the further analysis, the development of the formulas is certainly the result of the mixing genres, and also the response to two major issues flourishes in today’s era such as the issue of modernity and rationality and the phenomenon of ‘New Women’ and ‘Now Women.’Keywords: vampire, Dracula, formula, convention, invention","PeriodicalId":269997,"journal":{"name":"Rubikon : Journal of Transnational American Studies","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133551230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}