Humans, Rivers, and Environmental Ethics: A Study of Six Contemporary Indonesian Short Stories

Nabilla Silmi; Else Liliani

doi:10.55927/eajmr.v5i3.44

Authors

Nabilla Silmi Yogyakarta State University
Else Liliani Yogyakarta State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v5i3.44

Keywords:

Literary Ecocriticism, Anthropocentrism, Ecocentrism, Spiritual Relations, Contemporary Short Stories

Abstract

This study examines the representation of environmental ethics and the relationship between humans and river ecosystems in six contemporary Indonesian short stories. Using a literary ecocriticism approach, this qualitative research applies a descriptive-analytical method to analyze manifestations of anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, and mythological-spiritual human–nature relations. The data sources consist of six short stories published in print and online mass media between 2020 and 2024. The findings reveal three patterns. First, anthropocentrism appears through destructive river exploitation, pollution, and the rationalization of greed that results in ecological and social collapse. Second, ecocentrism emerges as resistance, shown through character solidarity against environmental destruction, ethical restraint in using nature, and narratives of nature’s retaliation. Third, human–river relations are represented through myth and spirituality, portraying the river not merely as a material object but as a sacred subject preserved through rituals and local wisdom.

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