The Identity Politics of Masculinity as a Colonial Legacy

Prior to Dutch colonization, there was a clear distinction between men and women in Indonesia. However, the hierarchical structure between these gender categories is part and parcel of the colonial legacy. Masculinity was first introduced in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period as a repudiatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of intercultural studies Vol. 40; no. 6; pp. 700 - 719
Main Author Prianti, Desi Dwi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 02.11.2019
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Colonialism
discourse
Femininity
Gender
Gender identity
gender relation
Gender roles
Identity politics
Indonesia
Lifestyles
Masculinity
Men
men's lifestyle magazine
Modern society
Politics
Popular culture
Sex roles
Indonesia
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Summary:Prior to Dutch colonization, there was a clear distinction between men and women in Indonesia. However, the hierarchical structure between these gender categories is part and parcel of the colonial legacy. Masculinity was first introduced in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period as a repudiation from femininity. This signaled a significant shift, as previously being modest and part of the community had been valued much more highly in Indonesian society than was individuality. By asking to what extent men's gender expectations are subject to the identity politics of masculinity, and to what extent this is reflected on Indonesian popular culture specifically men's lifestyle magazine, I intend to shed light on the incompatibility of the identity politics of masculinity with contemporary Indonesian men. Towards this goal, I analyse eight men's lifestyle magazines, for they play a key role in contemporary modern societies, exposing men to generalized notions of what it means to be a 'man'. Spanning the period from the earliest men's lifestyle magazines published in Indonesia in the mid-1970s until 2015, I map contemporary narratives of masculinity in Indonesian context as a reflection of the effects colonial ideologies continue to have on Indonesian society and the division of gender roles.
ISSN:0725-6868
1469-9540
DOI:10.1080/07256868.2019.1675612