KRISIS LINGKUNGAN DALAM NOVEL JEJAK BALAK KARYA AYU WELIRANG KAJIAN EKOKRITIK

Abstract

Environmental damage caused by the exploitation of natural resources increasingly threatens the sustainability of ecosystems and the customary lands of indigenous communities. This phenomenon is reflected in literary works as a form of ecological criticism. This study aims to describe the environmental crisis occurring on customary lands in the novel Jejak Balak by Ayu Welirang. This study employs a qualitative descriptive method with an objective approach and falls under the umbrella of literary sociology. The data consists of textual units, namely sentences, paragraphs, and dialogues. Data collection employs a documentation technique involving repeated reading of the study object, identifying phenomena, recording data, and grouping data. Data analysis utilizes qualitative analysis techniques, comprising the stages of examining, classifying, interpreting, and compiling findings and conclusions. The data found were analyzed using three concepts of ecocritical theory formulated by Greg Garrard, including pollution, wilderness, and apocalypse. The research results indicate pollution through soil and air degradation. Wilderness is threatened by exploitative practices and shows shifts in animal habitats. Apocalypse is demonstrated by floods and haze, which occur as a result of environmental damage caused by human activities. This study concludes that these three concepts are interrelated in terms of the occurrence of structural and cultural environmental damage. The novel Jejak Balak also serves as a medium for conveying criticism of exploitative practices that threaten the sustainability of customary lands.

Keywords: Environmental Damage; Ecocriticism; Customary Lands; Jejak Balak