The power of language in Babel: or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translators’ revolution (2022) by R. F. Kuang

Nawawi, Azmi (2026) The power of language in Babel: or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translators’ revolution (2022) by R. F. Kuang. Sarjana thesis, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.

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Abstract

This research examines the power of language as represented in the narrative and dialogues of Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution (2022) by R. F. Kuang. The study focuses on how language functions as a power and how it impacts a nation and its culture as a representation of power. Language in the novel is portrayed not as a neutral medium, but as an instrument of power that operates through discourse, translation, and the production of knowledge within imperial institutions. This research applies Michel Foucault’s theory of discourse and power relations as the main theoretical framework. The method used is qualitative research with a mimetic approach, and the research design is literary criticism. The findings show that language in Babel functions as a mechanism of Imperial control that shapes identity, culture, and national consciousness. At the same time, language also becomes a medium of resistance that enables critical awareness and challenges dominant power structures. This dual function of language is explicitly represented through narrative conflicts and dialogues that reveal unequal power relations between institutions and marginalized subjects. Thus, language is revealed as a central and paradoxical force in constructing and contesting power in the novel.

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