Philosophica: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, dan Budaya

NEGOTIATING IDENTITY UNDER THE CULTURAL SUPEREGO IN ON EARTH WE’RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS

2026-01-02T09:49:04+00:00

Diasporic individuals often face complex identity formation that involves psychological tension driven by conflicting cultural moralities. In Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, this tension is illustrated through the protagonist, Little Dog, whose identity is shaped by familial obligations, cultural expectations, and social marginalization. This study aims to explore how the cultural superego influences Little Dog’s identity formation and how he navigates cultural pressures within a Vietnamese-American diaspora context. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this research draws on Freudian psychoanalysis, particularly Freud’s concept of the cultural superego. The data consists of selected narrative passages, dialogues, and character reflections that expose themes of moral regulation, guilt, repression, and cultural pressure. The analysis employs thematic textual analysis to interpret how internalized cultural authority influences identity negotiation. The findings suggest that the cultural superego functions through various mechanisms, including familial duty, guilt, social discrimination, norms of masculinity, and the cultural gaps between Vietnamese and American values. These mechanisms act as internal moral regulators, shaping desires, emotional expressions, and self-perception. As a result, identity is recognized as a continuous negotiation rather than a stable construct. This study contributes to psychoanalytic literary studies by demonstrating how Freud’s concept of the cultural superego can be applied to diasporic literature. It explains identity formation as a psychologically regulated process influenced by collective moral authority rather than solely by individual autonomy.

FOOD AND KITCHEN AS RECLAIMING OF WOMANHOOD IN DIANA ABU-JABER'S MEMOIRS

2025-11-27T03:46:35+00:00

Food plays a central role in Arab-American women’s writing because it bridges personal memory, cultural identity, and gendered experience. While previous studies have examined food as nostalgia or cultural preservation, fewer have explored how culinary practices and kitchen spaces function as feminist sites of agency and identity negotiation within the diasporic context. This Paper focuses on Diana Abu-Jaber’s memoirs The Language of Baklava (2006) and Life Without a Recipe (2016) using the perspective of Food Studies, Arab-American Feminism and Diaspora Theory. The analysis aims to explore how food function as a narrative tool for Arab-American women to express identity, memory, and resistance within patriarchal and cross-cultural contexts. With Gaul’s (2024) concept of food cultural and emotional symbol as main theory, this paper argues that Abu-Jaber transform the kitchen from domestic space into a site of empowerment and negotiation. This study employs qualitative content analysis to examine recurring food narratives, memories, and kitchen spaces in both memoirs, using close reading supported by theoretical categorization. The Result found that food in Abu-Jaber’s memoir is not merely a cultural representation, but a feminist language that bridges Arab and American experiences. Through culinary memory, recipe, and everyday cooking, Abu-Jaber redefines female agency and articulates a hybrid Arab-American identity. The study conclude that Abu-Jaber’s memoirs reflect a distinct form Arab-American feminism where food and the kitchen serve as mediums of self-expression, cultural preservation and resistance.

DETERMINANTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CONFLICT IN JO PIAZZA’S EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU

2025-12-29T02:47:05+00:00

Psychological conflict is a central concern in contemporary literary studies because it reveals how individuals negotiate identity, desire, and control within increasingly complex social environments. However, existing literary analyses often privilege intrapsychic tension while giving limited attention to how external forces, particularly domestic oppression and digital influencer culture, actively shape and intensify psychological struggle. Addressing this gap, this study examines the internal and external psychological determinants that shape Rebecca Sommers's psychological conflict in Jo Piazza’s Everyone Is Lying to You. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method, using the novel as primary data in the form of narration, dialogue, and character actions. The data are analyzed through Freudian psychoanalytic theory, focusing on the interaction of the Id, Ego, and Superego, while situating these psychic structures within the socio-cultural context of patriarchal domestic control and influencer-driven digital culture. The findings indicate that Rebecca’s psychological conflict arises from an ongoing struggle between instinctual desires for autonomy, ego-driven strategies of self-regulation, and superego-based moral pressure, all of which are significantly intensified by domestic oppression, social media pressure, and social isolation. These external determinants operate as active psychological forces that enforce self-surveillance, regulate behavior, and perpetuate repression rather than functioning merely as background conditions. This study concludes that psychological conflict in contemporary literary narratives cannot be fully understood without integrating intrapsychic dynamics with external socio-digital determinants, demonstrating how influencer culture and domestic power structures reshape individual psychology.

POLA TOPONIMI RESTORAN KULINER BATAK TOBA

2025-11-17T07:13:33+00:00

Penelitian ini menganalisis praktik toponimi (penamaan tempat) dan unsur-unsur linguistik Batak Toba yang digunakan dalam penamaan Lapo (restoran kuliner khas Batak) untuk memahami bagaimana hal tersebut mencerminkan identitas budaya, nilai-nilai, dan kearifan lokal masyarakat Batak Toba. Lapo Batak Toba dikenal sebagai pusat penyajian hidangan tradisional seperti Ikan Mas Arsik, Saksang, Na Niura yang secara keseluruhan memiliki nilai filosofis dan ritualistik yang mendalam. Secara geografis, daerah Batak Toba, terutama kawasan sekitar Danau Toba dan Pulau Samosir, memiliki pengaruh yang kuat terhadap kuliner, yang terlihat dari penggunaan bahan baku lokal seperti ikan air tawar dan bumbu khas andaliman. Dalam konteks restoran, penamaan Lapo seringkali mengadopsi strategi linguistik yang dihapuskan pada budaya setempat. Analisis menunjukkan bahwa praktik penamaan ini dapat dipecah menjadi beberapa pola utama, antara lain: penggunaan nama marga seperti "Lapo Raja...", nama-nama lokasi geografis yang ikonik (misalnya, Lapo Samosir, Lapo Toba), nama anggota keluarga atau tokoh yang dihormati, serta kata-kata yang mengandung nilai-nilai filosofis seperti kebersamaan ( marsipature hutana be ) atau harapan baik. Penggunaan toponimi dan nama yang berlandaskan budaya ini bertujuan menciptakan citra keaslian (autentisitas) dan menjadi penanda identitas yang kuat, baik bagi perantau Batak Toba maupun wisatawan. Penamaan tersebut berfungsi sebagai 'jembatan' yang menghubungkan diaspora Batak dengan kampung halaman, sekaligus mempromosikan wisata gastronomi di kawasan Danau Toba. Selain itu, penamaan dalam bahasa Batak Toba ditemukan dominan, menandakan upaya pelestarian bahasa dan budaya di tengah arus modernisasi. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mendeskripsikan pola penggunaan nama-nama toponimi yang digunakan pada restoran kuliner Batak Toba. Selain itu, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap makna budaya dan sosial yang terkandung dalam nama-nama toponimi tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan bagaimana toponimi berkontribusi terhadap pelestarian tradisi kuliner serta memperkuat identitas budaya masyarakat Batak Toba. Melalui penelitian ini, diharapkan dapat memberikan pemahaman lebih mendalam mengenai hubungan antara bahasa, budaya, dan identitas lokal yang tercermin melalui penamaan restoran Batak Toba.

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL READING OF EXISTENTIAL EXPRESSIONS IN YOUTH SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS: A LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL INTERPRETATION

2025-11-20T07:03:59+00:00

This study explores how young people articulate existential meaning through their social media posts, employing a qualitative phenomenological approach to interpret their lived emotional and cultural experiences. Focusing on linguistic patterns and thematic expressions, the research analyzes how adolescents express concerns related to identity, purpose, emotional disconnection, and resilience within digital spaces. A corpus of youth-generated posts from platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X was examined using thematic, linguistic, and phenomenological analysis. Findings reveal three major existential themes: purpose-seeking, loneliness and the paradox of digital visibility, and hope-driven self-reconstruction. Purpose-seeking expressions often employed progressive verb forms—such as “searching,” “trying,” and “figuring out” indicating an ongoing process of meaning-making rather than a fixed goal. Posts related to loneliness highlighted the tension between being seen and being understood, reflecting emotional vulnerability mediated by digital interaction. Meanwhile, affirmations of hope and resilience demonstrated future-oriented modal constructions that signaled efforts toward emotional recovery and agency. Culturally, the study shows that social media serves as a liminal space in which youth negotiate societal expectations, articulate vulnerabilities, and construct emerging identities. Overall, the findings suggest that existential expressions in youth digital communication are deeply shaped by linguistic choices and cultural environments, revealing social media as a critical site for understanding contemporary youth experiences.

The BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND IMPROVISATION: FOOD AS A SYMBOL IN DIANA ABU-JABER’S MEMOIRS

2025-11-27T16:20:12+00:00

This paper examines how Diana Abu-Jaber's works, The Language of Baklava (2005) and Life Without a Recipe (2016), describe how Muslim women negotiate identity and freedom amid the pressures of tradition (culture) and diaspora. Both works show a shift in the meaning of women's identity from obedience to cultural and family values towards the search for autonomy and self-identity. Previous studies have focused more Abu-Jaber's work from the perspective of nostalgia and hybridity, but often ignore the transformative role of food as a feminist language for self-expression. Therefore, using food studies theory from Anny Gaul (2024), feminist theory from Amir Aziz (2025), the concept of bildungsroman from Franco Moretti (2000), and the theory of hybridity and third space from Homi Bhabha (1994), this study aims to explore how food functions as a symbol of both cultural preservation and personal freedom for Muslim women in Abu Jaber's memoirs. This study interprets the process of women's transformation from cultural preservation to active subjects who reconstruct the meaning of freedom through daily activities. The results of the study show that Abu Jaber not only writes about food, but also uses experiences related to food as a metaphor for the journey of Muslim women in the diaspora. Thus, this study confirms the effort to negotiate a space of autonomy between culture, religion, and modernity.

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Suicidal Attempts as the Struggle Between Thanatos and Eros in "A Man Called Otto"

2025-12-21T05:09:47+00:00

This research aims to analyze suicidal behavior experienced by the main character, Otto, in the movie “A Man Called Otto” from a psychological perspective. The study focuses on identifying the psychological factors that drive Otto’s suicidal ideation and repeated suicide attempts. This research employs a qualitative method, with data collected through careful observation and analysis of scenes, dialogues, and character actions in the movie. The analysis is conducted using Sigmund Freud’s psychological theory, particularly the concepts of the death instinct, life instinct, and the structure of personality consisting of the id, ego, and superego. The findings show that Otto’s suicidal ideation and attempts are rooted in deep grief following the loss of his wife, unresolved trauma, intense guilt, emotional exhaustion, and social alienation. Emotional triggers such as the loss of his child, removal from a leadership role, and feelings of being misunderstood strengthen the dominance of the death instinct, allowing destructive impulses to emerge while weakening the ego and intensifying self-blame. However, the presence of Marisol and her family gradually restores Otto’s emotional warmth, responsibility, and empathy. This marks the return of the life instinct through meaningful social interaction and new emotional bonds. Overall, Otto’s psychological journey shifts from domination by the death instinct toward a renewed sense of meaning and acceptance of life.

Keywords: Psychological Approach, suicide, Thanatos, Eros

UNCONSCIOUS MOTIVES OF THE MAIN CHARACTER AS REFLECTED IN “STRAW” MOVIE: A PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH

2025-12-22T14:54:29+00:00

The purpose of this study was to analyze the unconscious motives of the main character, Janiyah, in the movie Straw (2025) using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory (1923). This research applied a descriptive qualitative approach by examining selected dialogues and scenes that reflected the character’s psychological experiences. The study focused on how traumatic events stored in the subconscious mind influenced hallucinations, forced violent behavior, and changes in mental state. The findings showed that Janiyah’s hallucinations were caused by severe trauma, including the loss of her child, pressure from authority figures, feelings of helplessness, and accumulated stress. The study also revealed that the act of killing committed by the character was not intentional but was forced by extreme life conditions such as job loss, loss of shelter, and threatening situations. Furthermore, the research found that these traumatic experiences significantly affected Janiyah’s mental state, leading to shock, emotional breakdown, paranoia, loss of self-control, and disorientation. These conditions indicated the use of defense mechanisms such as repression, projection, displacement, and dissociation. Overall, the study concluded that Straw (2025) portrayed how unresolved trauma and subconscious processes distorted perception and behavior. This research confirmed that Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was useful in explaining trauma-related hallucinations, defense mechanisms, and psychological breakdown in contemporary film.

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF MERONYMY-BASED COHESION IN “THE NEW YORK TIMES” ON MAYOR WHITMIRE

2025-12-23T03:34:23+00:00

This study analyzes lexical cohesion in The New York Times article titled “Houston’s Mayor, John Whitmire, Thinks the Best Way to Lead Is to Keep His Head Down.” The research focuses on identifying and explaining the use of meronymy or part–whole relations that contribute to textual unity and coherence in the news. Using a qualitative descriptive design (Creswell, 2018), ten data samples containing meronymic relations such as city–streets, mayor–government, and citizens–community were analyzed. The results show that meronymy strengthens cohesion by linking smaller components to broader social and political contexts. This relation helps the journalist present complex issues—such as public safety and urban policy—in a clear and unified manner. The study highlights the role of meronymy as a cohesive strategy that enhances coherence and readability in news discourse.

POLITENESS STRATEGIES IN DIGITAL CONVERSATION: A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF BRENÉ BROWN’S INTERVIEW ON THE TIM FERRISS SHOW (2020)

2025-12-26T09:38:42+00:00

This study explores the use of politeness strategies in an episode of The Tim Ferriss Show featuring Dr. Brené Brown, using the theoretical framework of Brown and Levinson (1987). The research aims to identify the politeness strategies employed during the conversation and how these strategies function in maintaining respectful and meaningful interaction. This study employed a descriptive qualitative method to examine 20 utterances from the podcast, with 10 of them analyzed in depth. The findings reveal the application of four politeness strategies: bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off-record. Among these, positive politeness was the most frequently used, indicating the speakers’ effort to communicate clearly while fostering connection. In addition to verbal expressions, non-verbal cues such as tone and facial expressions contributed to the politeness conveyed. This research concludes that politeness strategies play a crucial role in digital discourse, supporting effective communication and social harmony.

Keywords: politeness strategies, pragmatics, podcast, Brown and Levinson, digital communication.

Firman COOPERATIVE LEARNING MODEL ON THE EVALUATION OF CREATIONAL DANCE MOVEMENTS BASED ON STAGE TECHNIQUES IN CLASS XI-3 OF STATE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 7 NORTH GORONTALO

2025-12-27T17:28:15+00:00

Pendidikan seni dan budaya memainkan peran penting dalam mengembangkan kepekaan estetika, kreativitas, dan pemikiran kritis siswa melalui keterlibatan aktif dalam proses pembelajaran, khususnya dalam pengajaran tari di sekolah. Namun, dalam praktik evaluasi tari kreatif, masih terdapat kesenjangan antara tujuan pembelajaran dan implementasi. Pembelajaran cenderung berpusat pada guru, monoton, dan memberikan sedikit kesempatan bagi siswa untuk memahami teknik manajemen panggung secara komprehensif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan peran guru seni dan budaya dalam mengimplementasikan model Pembelajaran Kooperatif untuk evaluasi tari kreatif berdasarkan teknik manajemen panggung di kelas XI-3 SMA Negeri 7 Gorontalo Utara. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif, dengan teknik pengumpulan data meliputi observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi. Analisis data dilakukan melalui reduksi data, penyajian, dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa implementasi model Pembelajaran Kooperatif dapat meningkatkan keaktifan, kerja sama, dan pemahaman siswa tentang elemen manajemen panggung, seperti wiraga, wirama, wirasa, wirupa, penggunaan properti, dan kekompakan kelompok. Siswa menjadi lebih percaya diri dalam menyampaikan pendapat, saling membantu dalam kelompok, dan mampu menampilkan tari kreatif sesuai dengan kriteria penilaian yang telah ditetapkan. Guru berperan sebagai fasilitator, motivator, dan evaluator, membimbing proses pembelajaran agar berlangsung secara kolaboratif dan bermakna. Oleh karena itu, dapat disimpulkan bahwa model Pembelajaran Kooperatif efektif dalam evaluasi tari kreatif karena tidak hanya meningkatkan kualitas hasil belajar tetapi juga menumbuhkan nilai-nilai karakter positif dan mendukung pembelajaran seni dan budaya yang berpusat pada siswa.

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