Intertextuality in Transcultural Literacy for Global Education and Soft Power Diplomacy

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Intertextuality remains underexplored in transcultural literacy. Wing Kardjo’s work serves as a case study in this research. Kardjo was an Indonesian poet who shaped Indonesian literature from 1955 to 1998 and studied in Paris. This study i. analyzes Kardjo’s intertextual engagement with French literature in his sonnet “Pasar,” which critiques urbanization in Indonesia by drawing on Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal and Rimbaud’s Illuminations, and ii. explores the transposition of the poète maudit myth from Verlaine and French Symbolism into Indonesian Modernism in “Le Poète Maudit”. Using Kristeva’s comparative intertextual analysis, grounded in Kristeva’s theory, it shows how Kardjo recontextualizes these themes, transforming the poète maudit myth into a symbol of national struggle during Indonesia’s New Order. This study reveals that i. Kardjo’s “Pasar” not only resonates with Baudelaire’s and Rimbaud’s works but also adapts these themes within the Indonesian socio-cultural landscape, and ii. the poète maudit myth in his sonnet reflects Indonesia’s ideological shifts. The findings suggest that Kardjo’s intertextuality fosters cross-cultural understanding and highlights important implications for educators by showing how literature can address global issues like cultural identity, with broader impacts on global education, international dialogue, and soft power diplomacy.