What is it about?
This article examines photographs published by a nationalist-leaning press, Kedaulatan Rakjat (KR), in Yogyakarta, a city known as the capital of Indonesian Revolution, between 1945-1946. There were several types of photographs displayed by KR. First, photographs introducing and promoting Indonesian national leaders. Secondly, photographs demonstrating the ruthlessness of the enemies of the Republic, especially the Dutch and the British. Thirdly, photographs depicting the valor and victory of Indonesian forces in facing the enemy. Fourth, photographs illustrating massive support of the Indonesian people to the Republic. The Republic’s foreign enemies only visually appeared in the newspaper as cruel but weak soldiers and cold-blooded politician. Through photographs published in KR, the authority, efficacy and strength of the newly born Republic were visually proven and further promoted, while the horror of Dutch and British acts were continuously emphasized to a larger audience, which in turn justifying hatred and violence against them. With this photographic framing, the Kedaulatan Rakjat shaped public opinions and attitudes to be supportive of fighting against the Dutch and the British.
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This page is a summary of: Photographic Representations of the Dutch–Indonesian Conflict in the Yogyakarta-Based Kedaulatan Rakjat Newspaper, 1945–1946, Bijdragen tot de taal- land- en volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, June 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/22134379-bja10058.
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