Konstruksi Negara atas Kepahlawanan: Analisis Wacana Historiografis Representasi Teuku Umar di Indonesia

Abstract

This article analyzes how the state constructs heroism through the representation of Teuku Umar in Indonesian historiography, using a historiographic discourse analysis. During the colonial period, Teuku Umar was portrayed as a “traitor” and an untrustworthy figure in the Dutch colonial government's narrative. Conversely, in post-independence national historiography, this representation was reconstructed as a heroic and patriotic “national hero.” This study aims to examine how this transformation is part of the state’s construction of the heroic narrative, and to uncover the relationship between historical knowledge, power, and legitimacy in the context of public administration. This study uses qualitative methods by analyzing colonial and national historiographic sources as discursive practices that reflect the interests and orientations of power. The results show that the representation of Teuku Umar is not neutral, but rather a product of ideological construction influenced by the state’s political interests and socio-historical dynamics. The transformation from “traitor” to “hero” reflects the practice of memory politics within the state’s efforts to build legitimacy, national identity, and symbolic authority. This finding confirms that historiography functions not only as a record of events but also as an instrument of public memory governance, shaping meaning, legitimacy, and the collective understanding of leadership and heroism within the framework of public administration.