The Survival Strategy of Diaspora Javanese Women in New Caledonia in the Novel La Bayou de Djakarta à Nouméa

Abstract

Liliane Saintomer is one of the few authors on Javanese women’s diaspora in the Southwest Pacific region. In the late 19th to early 20th century, the Dutch rulers of the Dutch East Indies sent people from Java to work as contract laborers in French-controlled areas of the Southwest Pacific. This article explores the survival strategy of adolescent Javanese girls who became part of the historical events that unfolded in New Caledonia. The research used data from the novel La Bayou de Djakarta à Nouméa (The Older Sister from Jakarta to Nouméa) as the primary material. Using the textual analysis method, the story was analyzed by examining the words, sentences, and paragraphs in the novel, providing insight into the different aspects of the survival strategy. The findings show that the Javanese diaspora carried out individual and collective forms of resistance. The Javanese women experienced multi-layered oppression due to gender, ethnicity, social class, and age differences. Keywords: Women; Diaspora; Javanese; New Caledonia; Survival strategy.