Anas Ahmadi
Studies on poetry in the context of collective therapy have not been widely conducted; therefore, this paper attempts to fill this gap. In this regard, this study attempts to examine therapeutic poetry that defended the lower classes in Indonesia during the New Order regime (1966–1998). Indonesian poets used poetry as a tool for social criticism of the authorities, which actually served as therapy for the lower classes. However, for the government, the poetry became a subversive tool that endangered the ruling government. The poets fought against the New Order regime by criticizing it through poetry. By the ruling government, the poems were considered subversive. For this reason, Indonesian poets were banned from performing on stage, imprisoned for endangering state security, and there are even allegations that the ruling regime also killed poets. The poets provide therapy for the lower class by defending them through the poems they write. © 2025 National Association for Poetry Therapy.
Indonesian Language and Literature, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
