Resistensi Generasi Muda Terhadap Sistem Sosial Dalam Novel Kami Bukan Sarjana Kertas

The Resistance of the Young Generation to the Social System in the Novel We Are Not Paper Graduates

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis bentuk resistensi generasi muda terhadap sistem sosial dalam novel Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas karya J.S. Khairen melalui representasi nilai-nilai ideologi generasi muda, latar sosial tokoh, ketimpangan kelas sosial, serta konflik kepentingan antara idealisme generasi muda dan sistem sosial yang mapan. Penelitian ini dilatarbelakangi oleh semakin kuatnya tekanan sosial yang dialami generasi muda, terutama dalam bidang pendidikan, ekonomi, dan standar keberhasilan yang dibentuk masyarakat. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode deskriptif. Teori yang digunakan ialah sosiologi sastra Alan Swingewood yang memandang karya sastra sebagai cerminan kehidupan sosial masyarakat. Sumber data penelitian berupa novel Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas karya J.S. Khairen. Data diperoleh melalui teknik dokumentasi dengan langkah membaca, mengidentifikasi, mencatat, mengode, serta mengklasifikasikan kutipan yang sesuai dengan fokus penelitian. Analisis data dilakukan menggunakan model Miles dan Huberman yang meliputi reduksi data, penyajian data, serta penarikan kesimpulan dan verifikasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) nilai-nilai ideologi generasi muda direpresentasikan melalui semangat perjuangan meraih masa depan, kritik terhadap sistem pendidikan, sikap realistis dalam menghadapi kehidupan, harapan orang tua terhadap pendidikan anak, serta perlawanan terhadap keterbatasan sosial dan ekonomi; (2) latar sosial tokoh mencerminkan kehidupan masyarakat kelas menengah ke bawah yang menghadapi tekanan ekonomi, rendahnya kepercayaan diri, serta tuntutan untuk meraih keberhasilan melalui pendidikan; (3) ketimpangan kelas sosial ditampilkan melalui stigma terhadap mahasiswa kampus nonfavorit, perbedaan status sosial keluarga, ketimpangan peluang masa depan, serta hadirnya solidaritas sosial sebagai bentuk respons terhadap ketidakadilan; dan (4) konflik kepentingan muncul melalui benturan antara idealisme generasi muda dengan sistem sosial yang masih menekankan formalitas akademik dan status pendidikan. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa novel Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas berfungsi sebagai media kritik sosial terhadap sistem pendidikan dan ketimpangan sosial yang masih terjadi dalam kehidupan masyarakat.

Kata kunci: resistensi generasi muda, sistem sosial, sosiologi sastra, Alan Swingewood, Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas.

This study aims to analyze the forms of youth resistance toward the social system in the novel Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas by J.S. Khairen through the representation of youth ideological values, the social background of the characters, social class inequality, and conflicts of interest between youth idealism and the established social system. This research is motivated by the increasing social pressures experienced by young people, particularly in the areas of education, economics, and socially constructed standards of success. This study employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive method. The theoretical framework applied was Alan Swingewood’s sociology of literature, which views literary works as reflections of social life. The data source of this research was the novel Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas by J.S. Khairen. Data were collected through documentation techniques involving reading, identifying, recording, coding, and classifying quotations relevant to the research focus. Data analysis was conducted using the Miles and Huberman model, which includes data reduction, data display, conclusion drawing, and verification.The results of the study indicate that: (1) youth ideological values are represented through the spirit of striving for a better future, criticism of the education system, realistic attitudes toward life, parental expectations regarding education, and resistance to social and economic limitations; (2) the social background of the characters reflects the lives of lower-middle-class communities facing economic pressure, low self-confidence, and demands to achieve success through education; (3) social class inequality is portrayed through stigma toward students from non-prestigious universities, differences in family social status, unequal future opportunities, and the presence of social solidarity as a response to injustice; and (4) conflicts of interest emerge through tensions between youth idealism and a social system that continues to prioritize academic formality and educational status. This study concludes that the novel Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas functions as a medium of social criticism toward the education system and social inequality that still exist in society.

Keywords: youth resistance, social system, sociology of literature, Alan Swingewood, Kami (Bukan) Sarjana Kertas.