Film Mendadak dangdut (2006) Pemahaman geografi budaya dan identitas

Place has certain connotations that are involved in shaping the identity ofan individual or a community. Due to the importance of place or location inidentity formation, Cultural Studies has its own area of analysis focusing on theunderstanding of place, which is cultural geography. Peter Jackson (1989: 23,quoted by Giles and Middleton 1999: 104) defines cultural geography as a studyon how cultures are constituted by social practises occurring in certain contextswhich are influenced by historical and geographical factors. The discussion ofartistic works centred on the role of place in identity formation becomes aninteresting analysis. This research focuses on Rudi Soejarwo’s film MendadakDangdut ('Suddenly Dangdut'). The film’s setting is a densely populated districtin Jakarta. As the plot centres around this setting, an analysis of how placeinfluences the identity formation of the film’s main character becomes significant.The research is made using approaches in cultural geography, along with twokey concepts in Cultural Studies, which are identity and representation. It isaimed at finding a new consciousness as to how urban context, especially thatrelated to an understanding of place, takes part in the formation of identity ofindividuals and communities.