ABSTRACT
Identity is central in steering people’s life. However, it is not something that is fixed and solid. As Hall states, identity is more of a process than a product or a fixed entity. National identity is a more sophisticated construction that involves a positioning. It becomes more complicated if it concerns those who live in the border areas. Drawing on the concepts from Anderson, Hall, Kolakowski, Smith, and Edensor on identity, national identity, and representation, this paper analyses how national identity is represented in the film Tanah Surga Katanya… (Heaven on Earth, They Say…). From the analysis it can be concluded that the representation of national identity in the film Tanah Surga Katanya…, which is carried out through the usage of symbols (flag and currency), memory, and rituals, has been successful in showing that people who live on the border areas may have multiple and competing national identities, and that national identity is a construction that cannot be solidified into a single meaning.
