Gender, Islam and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesia

This page recaps Day 2 of the two-day event hosted by the Indonesia Forum, in collaboration with colleagues from Cultural Studies at Universitas Indonesia and The University of Melbourne’s School of Culture and Communication. The event took place on April 18-19, 2024, at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre.

The event for Day 2 (April 19) was chaired by Indonesia Forum Convenor Dr Monika Winarnita, with an introduction by event host Dr Annisa Beta.

Photo and video documentation are available at the bottom of the page.

Book Launch: Gender, Islam, and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesia

Gender, Islam and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesia explores the complex interplay between gender, Islam and sexuality in Indonesia, the country with the world’s largest Muslim population.

Book editors Prof. Monika Arnez and Prof. Melani Budianta offer a fresh look at the tensions between the local and the global through a wide range of cultural expressions and productions, including fashion, Islamic dating, popular literature, and videos on YouTube.

The book is grouped around three core themes: sexuality and violence, halal lifestyle, and shame and self-determination. The first section unpacks how activists and progressive religious scholars have argued for the need for the Sexual Violence Bill and it examines the ambivalence between criminalisation and care towards LGBTQ+ people. In the second, the authors bring new insights into how local expressions of Islam, gender and sexuality are negotiated in an increasingly globalised world. The contributions on the third theme tackle gender roles and mobility in culturally diverse regions such as Hong Kong,Taiwan, Singapore, the US, and Indonesia.

The book was launched by A.Prof. Sharyn Graham Davies from Monash University’s Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Centre.

Film Screening: Emak dari Jambi (Mother from Jambi) (2015)

Emak dari Jambi (Mother from Jambi) (2015) tells the story of a mother’s journey from a small village in Jambi Sumatra to the bustling capital city of Jakarta where she must face the fact that her first-born son is now a transgender. Caught between her religious values and unconditional love towards the child, the titular mother is struggling to comprehend a set of values that is radically different from her secure world.

Filled with funny and poignant moments, Emak dari Jambi is a heartwarming story about love, truth and acceptance. It is the winner of the Best ASEAN Documentary at the Salaya International Documentary Film Festival 2016 (Bangkok, Thailand) and the Best Southeast Asia (long) at Freedom Film Festival 2016 (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia).

The discussion and Q&A session following the film screening was led by Prof. Melani Budianta and joined by director Anggun Pradesha.

More about the event

The Indonesia Forum, in collaboration with the School of Culture and Communication, are delighted to welcome our colleagues Prof. Melani Budianta, Prof. Manneke Budiman, and Dr Gietty Tambunan from the Cultural Studies department at Universitas Indonesia, for their visit to Melbourne on April 18-19, 2024, at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre.

The event was funded by the Indonesia Strategic Engagement Group (ISEG) initiative from The University of Melbourne and hosted by Dr Annisa Beta.

The first day featured two events in one panel. The session with Universitas Indonesia delegates Prof. Budianta, Prof. Budiman, and Dr Tambunan was chaired by Dr Annisa Beta and opened by Indonesia Forum Co-Convenor Dr Wulan Dirgantoro. This was followed by Monash University’s Dr Michelle Antoinette‘s book launch for A.Prof. Edwin Jurriëns‘ book, titled The Art of Environmental Activism in Indonesia: Shifting Horizons.

The second day included two hybrid events. The first was the presentation of the new book, Gender, Islam and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesia, edited by Prof. Monika Arnez and Prof. Melani Budianta, and launched by A.Prof. Sharyn Graham Davies from Monash University’s Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Centre. The second event was a film screening featuring the documentary filmmaker and star Anggun, who joined us for a Q&A session. The discussion was led by Prof. Melani Budianta. Indonesia Forum Convenor Dr Monika Winarnita chaired the session, with an introduction by Dr Annisa Beta.