This study introduces a new ideological criticism of Indonesian literature by reinterpreting Pancasila—the nation’s foundational philosophy—as a living framework for analyzing regional fiction across the archipelago. Through five novels that represent Indonesia’s major island groups—Sokola Rimba (Sumatra), Tarian Bumi (Java–Bali–Nusra), Api Awan Asap (Kalimantan), Puya ke Puya (Sulawesi), and Namaku Teweraut (Maluku–Papua)—the research examines how each narrative embodies, contests, or reconstructs the moral values embedded in the five principles of Pancasila. Employing a qualitative, interpretive approach rooted in ideological criticism, this paper maps literary positions into three modes: support, when the text reinforces Pancasila’s ideals; violation, when it exposes the failure of these principles in social reality; and critique, when it questions internal contradictions within the ideology itself. Sokola Rimba supports humanitarian and social justice values through the struggle for indigenous education; Tarian Bumi critiques hierarchical and patriarchal structures within Bali’s caste-based society; Api Awan Asap exposes violations of environmental and economic justice in Kalimantan; Puya ke Puya reflects on death, spirituality, and democratic ethics in Sulawesi; while Namaku Teweraut confronts national exclusion and postcolonial trauma in Papua. Findings suggest that regional fiction not only reflects but also redefines Indonesia’s moral imagination, transforming Pancasila from a static doctrine into a dialogical, evolving ideology of pluralism and justice.

Pancasila, Ideological Criticism, Indonesian Literature, Archipelagic Identity, Value of Sila