14 - Feminist intervention in cultural activism

Summary

Examining the development of feminist thought and practice in Indonesian arts and culture since the early 2000s, this chapter argues that new forms of cultural activism are emerging; they are feminist, trans-archipelagic and moving towards a decolonial approach. In the first decade of Indonesia’s reformasi, feminist discourses became visible through high-profile media debates and spectacles from the rise of women writers who write openly about sex and sexuality (writing labelled by the media as sastrawangi or fragrant literature), to the controversial Rancangan Undang-Undang Pornografi (Pornography Bill), which became law in 2008. Women in the arts have challenged traditional gender roles prescribed by the New Order regime by reclaiming their agency as creators and decision-makers in literary, music, film, performance and visual art scenes. The two most prominent trajectories of feminist thought, liberal feminism and Islamic feminism, have shaped the discussions around women, gender and feminism, and these influences have continued to thrive in the subsequent decades. With the prevalent use of digital technology, liberal and Islamic feminist ideas have travelled through digital platforms, circulated by the younger generation of feminist activists, often in response to the increasing religious conservatism that attempts to confine women and discriminate against sexual and gender minority groups.

Yet more feminist directions have emerged. The Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration, which began in 2014, has led to a new development in feminist articulations that fit more with free market logic. Centred on the idea of kerja (work) within a neoliberal framework, the Jokowi regime flaunts successful female ministers as well as millennial staff and spokespersons—many of whom are women—as the icons of Indonesia’s assertive move towards a global digital economy and creative entrepreneurship. This development, coinciding with global feminist movements, paved the way for the rise of neoliberal feminism that frames women’s struggles as individual endeavours to break the glass ceiling. There has also been an emerging feminist movement that focuses on forging feminist connections across borders in the nusantara (archipelago) while making interventions to the Jakarta/Java-centric feminist thought and practice. This chapter focuses on the latter movement and highlights its trans-archipelagic and decolonial characteristics. My scope is limited to feminist cultural activism, a specific site within the feminist movement in which collectives use culture as a site for political intervention.