Monthly discussion: “Indonesia tanpa feminisme: my body is not mine, but do I know it?”

Date and venue

Date: Wednesday, 15 May 2019, 5.30-8.00 pm
Venue: Room 556 (Lectorial Room II), Arts West (Building 148)
The University of Melbourne, Parkville

Abstract

In mid-March 2019, Indonesian netizens and public was struck by the advent of an Instagram account with the account name: @Indonesiatanpafeminis (Indonesia without feminism). As controversial as the tagline is, this account states that ‘my body is not mine, but rather Allah’s’.

In this monthly discussion, we expect to discuss the issue of “Indonesia tanpa feminisme”, from the perspective of feminism, religion and their influence in social and political realm of the country, as well as from the perspective of women’s sexuality and reproductive health situation in Indonesia. The following questions will be discussed:

1. How does the conservative view on gender role of women influence the policy making in Indonesia?
2. How far is Indonesia from building a discourse on women’s reproductive health that is more educational-focused and less on moral and religious ground?
3. How do young women in Indonesia understand their own reproductive health regardless the debates on religious and cultural grounds?

Discussants

Assoc. Professor Linda Rae Bennett

Linda is based at the Nossal Institute of Global Health and Population at the University of Melbourne. Her recent article titled ‘Contestations of Gender, Sexuality and Morality in Contemporary Indonesia’ and her book titled Seksualitas di Indonesia give a picture about the entanglement of sexual health and the perception of religion and morality in Indonesia.

Dr Dina Afrianty

Dina is a Research Fellow at La Trobe Law School, La Trobe University, Melbourne. Dina writes a recent article titled ‘Women and Islam in Contemporary Indonesia’. She previously publishes numbers of writings on the topic of gender, Islam and politics in Indonesia.

Yuni Asrianty

Yuni is the Coordinator of Migrant Workers Task Force at National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and is currently pursuing her master’s degree on Gender and Development at the University of Melbourne.

Registration

Please register at: Monthly discussion: Indonesia tanpa feminis, 15 May 2019 (for catering purpose only)