THE LEADERSHIP VALUES OF SULTAN AGUNG IN THE BABAD SULTAN AGUNG: A LEVI-STRAUSS STRUCTURALISM STUDY

Abstract

This study analyzes the traditional Javanese leadership model, which is rich in moral and spiritual values, through an examination of the Babad Sultan Agung. As a historiographical text, the Babad not only records historical events but also shapes the construction of an ideal leadership myth. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the leadership values of Sultan Agung as reflected in the narrative and symbolic structure of the Babad Sultan Agung. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method with a Lévi-Strauss structuralist approach. The main object of this research is the Babad Sultan Agung text, which has been transliterated and translated. Data was collected through literature study and in-depth reading of the text. The analysis technique was carried out by identifying binary oppositions and the narrative flow of character transformation based on the initiation model (separation, transition, and confirmation). The results of the study show that Sultan Agung's leadership was constructed through values such as spiritual-divine legitimacy, strategic intelligence, asceticism, moral justice, and religious authority. The figure of Sultan Agung is positioned as an ideal king who is not only an heir to the throne but also a spiritually and symbolically chosen figure. This study demonstrates that the Babad Sultan Agung functions as a mythological text that reinforces Javanese leadership ideology and remains relevant as a reference for leadership values in the context of contemporary culture and character education.