“Dia Dikader”: Women’s NGOs roles, networks, and the agency of women’s legislative candidates in West Sumatra

Kurniawati Hastuti DEWI,Ade LATIFA,Nur Iman SUBONO,Wahyu PRASETYAWAN,Ari Purwanto Sarwo PRASOJO Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2023 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.29 No.4

Penelitian sebelumnya mengenai keterwakilan perempuan di parlemen Indonesia pada Pemilu 2019 mengidentifikasi dua strategi yang umum digunakan calon legislatif perempuan untuk meraih kemenangan. Strategi ini mencakup pertama, dengan memanfaatkan jaringan perempuan untuk memobilisasi dukungan, dan kedua, mengandalkan dinasti politik terpusat pada kekuasaan laki-laki. Tulisan ini ingin memberikan kontribusi baru terhadap kajian yang sudah ada dengan menunjukkan pentingnya peran Ornop (Organisasi Non-Pemerintah) perempuan dalam menyuplai dan mempersiapkan calon legislatif perempuan, melalui kasus pemilihan anggota DPRD Provinsi Sumatera Barat pada Pemilu tahun 2019. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif yang bersumber dari wawancara mendalam terhadap calon legislatif perempuan di DPRD Provinsi Sumatra Barat serta aktivis perempuan dan observasi terhadap mereka. Tulisan ini mengungkapkan bahwa kemunculan caleg perempuan di Sumatera Barat telah dipersiapkan (“dikader”) oleh Ornop perempuan seperti Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia Sumatra Barat dan Wanita Islam Sumatra Barat. Ornop perempuan ini mempunyai peran penting dalam mendukung terpilihnya kandidat perempuan dengan memberikan pelatihan politik, konsultasi, dukungan moral, dan akses terhadap jaringan perempuan. Kepercayaan Ornop perempuan terhadap para kandidat perempuan ini berasal dari interaksi sosio-politik jangka panjang di antara mereka. Hal ini juga menunjukkan bahwa kandidat perempuan memainkan peran aktif karena mereka mampu memanfaatkan dukungan Ornop perempuan dan menggunakan jaringan perempuan untuk menjangkau pemilih. Previous research, on the representation of women in the Indonesian parliament in the 2019 General Election, identifies two common strategies used by women legislative candidates to win. One is to draw on women’s networks to mobilize support and the other is to rely on the dynastic power. This paper contributes to existing studies by exploring the vital role of women NGOs in supplying and preparing women’s legislative candidates through a case study of the West Sumatra Provincial Parliament in the 2019 General Election. Qualitative research methods were used for this research, drawing on in-depth interviews with women legislative candidates of West Sumatra Provincial Parliament and women activists. This paper reveals that the rise of women candidates in West Sumatra was “prepared” (dikader)by women’s NGOs, namely Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia of West Sumatra and Wanita Islam of West Sumatra. These women NGOs have played an important role in getting women elected by providing political training, consultation, moral support, and access to women’s networks. Women NGOs’ support for these women candidates arose from their long-term socio-political relationship. This research has also revealed that the women candidates exercised a great deal of agency in reaching the voters through these women’s NGOs and networks.

Women’s Political Representation in Nepal : An Experience from the 2008 Constituent Assembly

Tara KANEL Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2014 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.20 No.4

In Nepal, a constituent assembly was elected in 2008 to draft a new constitution for the nation. The assembly worked for four years but was dissolved without completing its task. Nonetheless, it had made decisions on most constitutional provisions apart from the provision of federal structures. Political forces agreed thereafter that the new assembly will create a constitution based on the constitutional provisions decided by the dissolved assembly. Women comprised almost 33 percent of the constituent assembly in 2008. However, to what extent did the presence of a ‘critical mass’ of women in the assembly contribute to progress towards gender equality? This article, reviews existing literature, with a view toquery the effects of ‘critical mass,’ arguing that despite the sizeable presence of women in the assembly, they were unable to influence the culture of this male-dominated political institution. The alliance among women for advancing women’s interests was far from possible. In this respect, the assembly was not very different from the parliaments of the past, which only had a nominal women’s representation. The size of women’s presence has no particular relationship with a ‘women-friendly’ policy in Nepal, no more than seen in the studies of western parliaments.

The Gender Café Project : Cultivating Women’s Activism from the Inside

Rotvatey SOVANN Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2014 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.20 No.4

Gender-based violence is an important issue in the Cambodian context that has been neglected considerably, but remains a major problem for development and human rights. Gender Café, a project initiated by Gender and Development for Cambodia in 2011, aims at addressing the issue of gender-based violence by empowering women through information and story sharing. In 2013, four specific groups of women―women entertainers, street vendors, factory workers and victims of land eviction―have been identified to become Gender Café members because of their vulnerable status in Cambodian society. With activities, such as gender café events, monitoring and coaching, camping, publication of cases and radio shows, Gender Café intends to support and inspire its members to exercise their rights to become free from gender-based violence. The project has been successful in combating such violence and promoting women’s empowerment.

Shaping Land Rights : Tenurial Class, Lineage, and Gender in Malerkotla, India

Rita BRARA Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2014 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.20 No.4

The subject of women’s rights and title to land has, once again, assumed center stage. In the wake of concerns about the feminization of rural poverty, the question of land rights for women is pressing. This paper delineates the differential modes and implications of self-acquiring and inheriting arable lands within the tenurial classes of the former princely state of Malerkotla in the Sangrur district of Punjab, India. It examines the pattern of legal titles to land from 1890 onwards based largely on the information yielded by the local-level revenue records at Malerkotla and then focuses on the rights of women in the context of the pre-eminently patrilineal transmission of rights in land. Finally, it explores the significance of this enquiry for land and gender studies and possible social interventions.

Uncultivated Biodiversity in Women’s Hand : How to Create Food Sovereignty

PATRIA, Hayu Dyah Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2013 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.19 No.2

Most of the world’s food is grown, collected, and harvested by over 2.5 billion small-scale farmers, pastoralists, forest dwellers and fisherfolk, of which more than half are women. Women’s knowledge and labor play a key role in sustaining the many diverse, local food systems that still exist today throughout the world. Mantasa is an independent organization in Indonesia that works on edible wild plants. Biodiversity is the key to food sovereignty and women are the holders of knowledge and wisdom related to utilization of natural resources for their livelihood. Galengdowo village, discussed here, is a successful case where women use edible wild plants to sustain their food sovereignty. Hampir seluruh makanan di dunia ditumbuhkan, dikumpulkan dan dipanen oleh lebih dari 2.5 milyar petani kecil, penggembala, pengembara hutan dan nelayan, dimana lebih dari setengahnya adalah kaum perempuan. Pengetahuan dan tenaga kerja kaum perempuan memainkan peran kunci untuk menjaga sistem pangan lokal yang beraneka ragam, yang masih ada hingga sekarang di seluruh dunia. Mantasa adalah lembaga independen yang bekerja untuk tanaman pangan liar. Keanekaragaman hayati adalah kunci dari kedaulatan pangan dan perempuan adalah pemegang pengetahuan dan kearifan yang berkaitan dengan pemanfaatan sumber daya alam untuk penghidupan. Desa Galengdowo adalah kasus sukses dimana kaum perempuannya memanfaatkan tanaman pangan liar untuk menciptakan kedaulatan pangan mereka.

The Situation of Kachin Women during the Current Political Crisis

YING, Lwin Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2013 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.19 No.2

As they struggle for basic rights, the Kachin continue to suffer from civil war and human rights violations. In particular, Kachin women suffer a great deal. This paper focuses on the daily lives of these women and their community support systems, while the conflict is underway. It also includes background history of the Kachin and their revolutionary movement for political rights, including an account of the 1994 ceasefire agreement, which was broken in June 2011. Lastly, the paper will cover the situation of internally displaced people along the China-Burma Border and current occurrence of trafficking of Kachin women. Shinggyim masha shagu tinang a ahkaw ahkang hpe n hkrit n tsang jai lang mai nga ai. Dai hte maren, amyu sha langai mung amyu sha ting a pawnghpawm ahkaw ahkang hpe jawm jai lang ra ai. Tinang a ahkaw ahkang hpe wanglu wanglang jai lang lu sai ni mung, n lu jai lang shi ai ni hpe garum madi shadaw ra ai gaw, shinggyim masha a lailen langai re. Raitim, shinggyim myit n rawng ai masha nkau gaw manang wa a ahkaw ahkang hpe pat hkum da chye ma ai. Dai zawn hkum pat ai hkrum yang, bai lu la hkra, RAWT MALAN gasat la ra ai. KACHIN ngu ai amyu mung ahkaw ahkang jai lang na matu hkum pat da hkrum ai AMYU langai re. Dai re ai majaw pat hkum da ai ahkaw ahkang hpe bai lu hkra RAWT MALAN nga ai amyu re. Dai zawn rawt malan nga ai aten hta mayak mahkak amyu myu hkrum sha ai hta Amyu shayi hte Ma ni gaw grau nna jam jau hkrum nga ai. Ya tang madun na laika ngau hta, Kachin amyu sha ni a shingdu labau, RAWT MALAN labau, Mungmasa ningmu ni hpe tang madun na rai nga ai.

Challenging gender mainstreaming through the narrative of Islamic youth organization : A case study on Persis in Indonesia

Mohammad Fahri HUSAENI,Aceng KOSASIH,Aceng KOSASIH Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2023 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.29 No.1

Implementing gender mainstreaming policies has become one important strategy for solving gender-based issues in society, especially in developing countries like Indonesia. However, one anomaly that becomes a concern in Indonesia’s gender mainstreaming strategy is how religious youth organizations would conflictingly react to this issue, as they may become a determining factor in how society would shift in dealing with gender issues. This study investigates the youth in Persis, a prominent Islamic youth organization in Indonesia, to understand gender mainstreaming in Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach and case study design, the study revealed that informants have doubts, skepticism, and slight conflict towards gender mainstreaming policies, due to misunderstandings and differences in personal and religious beliefs. This study provides insights into the gender mainstreaming views of a religious youth organization and how gender-based policies, programs, and research on gender have been and could be implemented in Indonesia.

Nüxia: Historical Depiction and Modern Visuality

NGO Sheau-Shi Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2014 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.20 No.3

Nüxia or woman warrior stands out as a term in the development of literature and cinema and is of particular interest for feminist concerns. Functioning as an archetype in ancient Chinese literature, the imaginary expression and fantastic representation of Nüxia in early Chinese cinema has reinvented itself in modern imagination to bridge symbolic and historical meaning. To explore further its figuration, both in literature and cinema, this essay seeks to demonstrate the connection between the cumulatively historical depictions of Nüxia and its continuously shifting meanings in cinema. I argue here that the visual properties of the classic heroic heritage of Nüxia served as a link between modern rationalism and the traditional imaginary, which not only informs so much of the contemporary meaning and significance of the terminology, but also situates this specific woman warrior archetype beyond the framework of sexual difference. 女性主义主者甚为关注中国文学和电影里的女侠这一类型。女侠 在中国古典文学中的原型通过当代创作充实了这一类型的意义与 想象。这篇论文的目的就是通过研究古典文学中的女侠与当代电 影创作中的女侠的意义变迁, 来重新创造现代想象, 以及建构传统 与现代的桥梁。 通过这个研究我试图证明, 中国早期电影中的女 侠类型所蕴含的侠者形象与其丰富的视觉描绘, 提供了传统过渡到现代的想象链接。这不仅使当代女侠的论述有新的意涵, 也使有关女侠的讨论能超越性/别的框架。

Diverging from the normal path : The life course of an elderly woman in Kinmen county

Hsiang Lan LIU Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2020 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.26 No.4

Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, is a unique offshore island of the Republic of China (ROC) that had an unusual and strategic position during the Cold War from 1946 to 1992. After 1949, Kinmen was forced to become involved in the military standoff between Chiang Kai-shek’s Republic of China in Taiwan(ROC) and Mao Zedong’s People’s Republic of China (PRC) during the cold war. Kinmen was under martial law for nearly 50 years from 1946 to 1992. The martial law was lifted in 1992 and Kinmen has become the frontline for cross-strait exchanges between the ROC and mainland China. Men’s heroic stories during the war have been studied and published, while women’s voices are systematically ignored. In order to examine the roles and value of women in Kinmen’s history, a case study methodology was used here. Su was one such unique woman, whose life story is investigated here. My main findings were about how she, as an active agent, used opportunities in order to overcome the major structural pressures of her life, while Kinmen underwent some major transitions. This paper is based on an account of this woman’s extraordinary struggles in different periods of time. 金門是中華民國相當獨特的離島,其特殊性在於冷戰從1946年到1992年間,她被迫成為冷戰戰場,捲進了中國國民黨蔣介石與中國共產黨毛澤東間的衝突。 從1946年到1992年,金門進入到軍事統治近50年,直到1992年解除戒嚴,轉型為中國與中華民國兩岸交流的前線。金門男性在戰爭時期的英勇事蹟已被記載與發表,但女性的聲音受系統性地忽略。為檢視金門女性位置和金門歷史的關係,本文採用個案研究方法,呈現一位女性的生命位置與金門史的關聯。主要發現是女性是一個積極的主體能動者,在不同金門重大變遷時運用機會超越結構性的壓力,此作為一個證據呈現金門女性在冷戰時期的不凡。

Intersections of Gender, Books, and Power : Converging Interests in Narratives by/on Women of East Timor

Clara SARMENTO Asian Center for Women's Studies : Ewha Womans Uni 2014 Asian Journal of Women's Studies(AJWS) Vol.20 No.4

This essay discusses some political and theoretical texts on gender in Southeast Asia in general, and in East Timor in particular, with a view to examine values related to traditional female roles, as well as the strategies used to recognize women in political and social fields that are conventionally dominated by males. In the post-colonial space of East Timor, the intersections of past and present, of the global and the local, of war and peace, define the guidelines to explore the negotiation and evolution of gender concepts. Listening actively to the narratives of women from Southeast Asian transitional territories like East Timor, requires translation, equivalence, dialogue and negotiation resources, in order to find points of convergence and divergence with dominant knowledge and thus build and implement concrete and specific strategies, while exercising the hermeneutics of suspicion on the alleged universality of western thought. Este artigo discute alguns textos políticos e teóricos sobre condição de género no Sudeste Asiático em geral, e em Timor Leste, em particular, tentando analisar os valores relacionados com os papéis femininos tradicionais, bem como as estratégias utilizadas para reconhecer as mulheres em campos políticos e sociais que são convencionalmente caracterizados pelo domínio masculino. No espaço pós-colonial de Timor Leste, as intersecções de passado e presente, global e local, guerra e paz, definem as directrizes utilizadas para explorar a negociação e a evolução dos conceitos de género. Escutar activamente as narrativas de mulheres de territórios de transição do Sudeste Asiático, como Timor Leste, exige capacidades de tradução, equivalência, diálogo e negociação, a fim de encontrar pontos de convergência e de divergência com o conhecimento dominante e, assim, construir e implementar estratégias concretas e específicas, ao mesmo tempo que se exerce a hermenêutica da suspeita sobre a alegada universalidade do pensamento ocidental.