As they have ambivalence, they are struggled to their own value and goals. Regarding to Baumeister,
People who have problems with identity are generally struggling with the more difficult aspects of defining self, such as the establishing of long- term
goals, major affiliation, and basic values Baumeister, 1986: 4.
Although they imitate the colonizers culture or value, they have their own value from the tribe or society which they are belong to. It is hereditary value they
get from the society, it cannot be erased easily. Example is following the tribal tradition.
Identity crisis is divided into two types. There are legitimation crisis and motivation crisis Baumeister, 1986: 199. First, legitimation crisis or identity
conflict refers “to the multiply defined self whose multiple definitions are imcompatible
” Baumeister, 1986: 199. It means that a person who experiences this crisis has multiple identities. Consequently, he needs a commitment to choose
which his identity is. There might be a possibility that he may betray the other identity which he has. Second, motivation crisis or identity deficit refers “to
inadequately defined self, characterized by a lack of commitment to goals and values
” Baumeister, 1986: 199. A person who experiences this crisis is not consistent about his decision. Therefore, he might seeks the sources of value,
meaning even he questions himself Baumeister, 1986: 199. These theories,
except the enlightenment subject Hall‟s concept of identity, are used to answer the second problem formulation.
4. Postcolonial Theory
The term „postcolonial‟ is a nebulous term. It is still ongoing debate because there is no original moment of this term. It seems that the term indicates period
marking which the colonial period is over and the successor of once- colonized people lives all over the world so that “the whole world is postcolonial” Loomba,
2007: 7. The prefix post- can also be indicates as „aftermath‟ in temporal sense as
in coming after and ideological sense as in supplanting Loomba, 2007: 7. In temporal point of view, it indicates the period after the colonialism is over.
Post- colonialism or often postcolonialism deals with the effects of colonization on culture and societies
” Aschroft, et. all, 1998:186. The point of this theory is that this theory sees the effect of colonialism to the former colonized
country. Furthermore, Ashis Nandy states in the Intimate Enemy that there are two kinds of colonialism; the first one is the physical conquest of territory and the
second one is the colonization of the minds, selves, and cultures Nandy, 1983: 11. I
n Alice Walker‟s Possessing the Secret of Joy, Africa is a former colonized country. It means the physical conquest of territory is over from Africa but, there
is still colonization through mind and cultures. Since colonization through cultures and mind happens, this issueis related to
the concept of otherness and hybridity. Identity is included in both concepts. Chris Baldick
explains that postcolonialism is considered as a “vexed cultural- political questions of national and ethnic identity, otherness, race, imperialism and
language during and after the colonial period” in Oxford Dictionary of Literary PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Terms 2008: 265. Related to identity, Baldick emphasizes the question of identity in postcolonialism, it is after and during the period of colonialism.
Related to culture, in postcolonial theory is always hybrid. It means that there is a mingle culture between the colonizer and the colonized. From the
mingle culture, it leads to the resistance from the colonized people. According to Barry in his Beginning Theory 2002 there are four
characteristics of post- colonialism: an awareness of the “Other”, language,
“identity as doubled, or hybrid”, „cross-cultural‟ interactions Barry, 2002:194- 196.
4.1 Theory of hybridity
Barry explain that hybridity is the situation whereby individuals and groups belong simultaneously to more
than one culture for instance, that of the coloniser, through a colonial school system, and that of the colonised, through local and oral traditions
Barry, 2002: 199.
It means when they meet new culture, they are mingled. Thus, they create a combination of both two cultures. Moreover, Loomba explains the statement of
Robert Young that “a hybrid is technically a cross between two different species”, then they share their culture to each other Loomba, 2015: 171. The combination
of both two cultures contain of the ideology and value of both cultures. This theory is used to define Tashi‟s condition of hybridity which influences her to
experience identity crisis. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
4.2 Hegemony theory
According to Loomba, hegemony is defined as A power achieved through a combination of coercion and consent. The
rulling classes achieve domination not by force or coercion alone, but also by creating subjects who‟willingly‟ submit to being ruled 2007: 29.
Thus, the colonized people do not realize that they are being ruled by the
colonizer. They do what the colonizer tells them to do, without any objection. The colonizer uses the common sense of the colonized people to influence and rule
them. The ideologies are the crucial thing to create consent in hegemony Loomba, 2007: 29.
Since “ideologies are conceptions of life that are manifest in all aspects of individual and collective existence”, they transmit it to the colonized
in order to control them Loomba, 2007: 29. Moreover, Althusser explains about interpellation1971: 127-186.He gives
more explanation from Gramsci who has suggested about hegemony Loomba, 2007: 32- 33.He states that interpellation is about the colonized do their free-
will, yet they are being ruled by the colonizer structure Loomba, 2007: 33. It can be called as “„Ideological State Apparatuses‟ such as schools, the Church, the
family, media and political systems ” Loomba, 2007: 33.
This ideological apparatuses assist in the reproduction of the dominant system by creating subjects who are ideologically conditioned to accept the
values of the system Loomba, 2007: 33.
He focuses on the function of the institution rather than the human. Institutions are easily accepted and affected the civilization. In this research, this
theory used to define theAmerican effects towards the perspective of Olinkans. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
C. Theoretical Framework
In this research, the researcher chooses the topic of women and female circumcision in Africa. It is related to the tradition of circumcision that has been
practicing in Africa from long time ago, uncertainly of time. The literature work of Alice Walker, Possessing the Secret of Joy, is the object of this research. This
novel contains of tradition as the theme of the story. The tradition itself is called as female circumcision. This tradition is same with the tradition that the researcher
wants to analyse. In the beginning, the researcher states the background of the tradition, the
implementation and the function of the tradition. It is to see the description of the female genital tradition in the novel. Even to see the reason behind maintaining
the tradition. Then, the researcher analyses the way of female circumcision and other tribal tradition reveal the identity crisis that Tashi has experienced. Not only
the contrast when she undergoes female circumcision, but also before and after she left Africa, in terms of setting.
This research uses a postcolonial approach because the main topic is the female mutilation tradition or the female circumcision, so it is related with the
tradition. Also, there are some issues in the novel such as colonialism, hegemony, otherness and racism around the main character lives.
The analysis of the first problem starts using setting and character and characterization theory. These theories are used to analyse the description of the
tradition. The descriptions are the background of the tradition and the characters point of view about female circumcision tradition.
After that, the researcher uses postcolonial theory and identity theory to analyse the second problem. These theories are used to see how the tradition
reveals the identity crisis is experienced by Tashi. There are two divisions of the postcolonial theory that is significantly used to analyse Tashi
‟s identity crisis. First is hybridity theory. This theory is used to see the interference of cultures in
the novel. It influences the identity crisis Tashi has experienced. Second is hegemony theory. This theory is used because there is a hegemony issue in the
novel. It helps the researcher to understand about the issue of hegemony, for hegemony influences identity crisis in the novel. Then, there is identity and
identity crisis theory. Since Tashi is confused with her own identity in the novel, theory of identity and identity crisis are needed to see the notion of identity or
„self‟ and to analyse the identity crisis in the story. The conclusion of this research is to show the reader about one of tribal
traditions in Africa which is called as female circumcision. Up until now, this tradition is still maintained in several places over the world, especially in Africa.
This kind of tradition brings effect like suffering to the person who takes it, especially in this case is
women. Then, the realizing of one‟s identity can be so difficult where there is an interference of two cultures.
