Discursive Construction of Cultural Authority in Indonesian Drama Education: A CDA–SFL Analysis of Narrative Conflict and Linguistic Strategies

Abstract

This study investigates how cultural authority is discursively constructed through language in Indonesian dramatic discourse and how such constructions function within drama education as a site of cultural transmission. Drawing on a qualitative discourse analytical approach, the study integrates Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to examine 87 dialogue segments selected through purposive sampling from Indonesian drama texts. The analysis focuses on three linguistic resources deontic modality, evaluative language, and imperative constructions mapped onto interpersonal and ideational metafunctions. These features are further analyzed in relation to narrative conflict configurations, including moral deviation, generational tension, social norm conflict, responsibility conflict, and cultural tradition conflict. Findings indicate that cultural authority emerges as a discursive achievement shaped by the interaction between linguistic choices and conflict structures. Specifically, evaluative and directive language is systematically used to legitimize norms, regulate behavior, and position certain characters as authoritative agents within narrative interaction. The study further demonstrates that narrative conflict functions as a discursive catalyst for activating moral evaluation and normative regulation. Overall, the findings suggest that dramatic dialogue operates not only as a representational form of social interaction but also as a pedagogical discourse that transmits cultural values and supports implicit moral learning in Indonesian language and literature education. This study contributes to discourse studies by proposing an integrated CDA–SFL–narrative framework for analyzing cultural authority in literary pedagogy.