Argyo Demartoto

Young Men and Peer Fighting in Solo, Indonesia

This article considers peer fighting between lower middle-class Javanese schoolboys with a view to describing the masculine habitus referenced in local collective violence. Acknowledging the long history of heroic warfare and factionalism in Java, the data points to the pleasurable sense of oneself as a kind of warrior fighting with a band of brothers. Four important points emerge about contemporary youthful masculinities here. First, peer fighting is a temporally bounded activity that ends with the school-to-work transition, thus bearing out Messerschmidt’s argument. Second, alcohol plays an important role in amplifying peer conflicts and honor disputes. Third, getting a girlfriend demands the expression of a different kind of masculine habitus from that operationalized in peer fighting. Finally, Muslim school-boy youth squads (geng[s]) are intense formations for the construction of warrior masculinities, employing extensive imagery from the field of global Islamist struggle in battles with boys from secular and Christian schools.

Indonesian Men’s Perceptions of Violence Against Women

This article explores male perceptions and attitudes toward violence against women in Indonesia. It analyzes interview data from Indonesian men collected as part of a large multimethod Australian government–funded project on masculinities and violence in two Asian countries. Reluctance to talk about violence against women was evident, and the accounts of those men who did respond referred to three justificatory discourses: denial, blaming the victim, and exonerating the male perpetrator. The findings support continuation of government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) projects aimed at both empowering women and reeducating men.

Youthful Warrior Masculinities in Indonesia

This chapter looks at contemporary masculinities in Indonesia, the fourth most-populated country in the world. Theoretically, this chapter makes use of the work of Honneth on recognition and Horrocks on the formation of masculinities. Horrocks proposes that dominant ideas about ideal masculinity are influential in the shaping of male subjectivity and are communicated through myths, heroic narratives, and legends. These abound in the traditions of the Indonesian archipelago, along with a range of beliefs and superstitions about the gendered body and warrior invulnerability. At the same time, global discourses of gender equity, gay rights, hypermasculinity, and Islamist activism are also influential, although we do not discuss them here. Nor is there any claim that the masculinities described below are in any way normative for Indonesia. We use accounts taken from our ethnographic research and some relevant studies to look specifically at how warrior mythology and concepts of the male body inform some current constructions of youthful masculinity.

The Quality of Life of Gay Community in Tulungagung, East Java, and its Associated Biopsychosocial Factors

Background: Little is known about the quality of life of gay men and lesbians living in Indonesia. Recent research has shown that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults have greater psychiatric morbidity and therefore lower quality of life than their heterosexual counterparts. This excess morbidity and lower quality of life are related to exposure to stressors, such as prejudice, discrimination, and violence. Stigma and discrimination that are experienced by gay community have long been documented to occur in Indonesia, including Tulungagung District, East Java. This study aimed to examine the quality of life of gay community in Tulungagung, East Java, and its associated biopsychosocial factors. Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Pelangi Gay Community, Tulungagung District, from October to November 2017. A total sample of 181 gays was selected by stratified random sampling. The exogenous variables were sexual behavior, family income, peer support, stigma, and discrimination. The endogenous variables were family support and quality of life. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by path analysis. Results: Better quality of life was positively affected by safe sexual behavior (b= 1.32; 95% CI= 0.18 to 2.46; p= 0.023) and strong family support (b= 1.47; 95% CI= 0.42 to 2.51; p= 0.006). Strong family supportwas positively affected by family income (b= 1.62; 95% CI= 0.97 to 2.27; p= 0.001). Better quality of life was positively affected by participation in peer support program (b= 2.84; 95% CI= 1.77 to 3.91; p= 0.001), freedom of stigma (b= 1.11; 95% CI= -0.04 to 2.26; p= 0.060), and freedom of discrimination (b= 1.43; 95% CI= 0.37 to 2.48; p= 0.008). Conclusion: Safe sexual behavior and strong family support have direct positive effect on the quality of life of gay community. Stigma and discrimination have indirect effect on lower quality of life of gay community Keywords: quality of life, sexual behavior, family support, stigma, discrimination, gay

Zoo agent's measure in applying the five freedoms principles for animal welfare

Background: Animal welfare should be prioritized not only for the animal’s life sustainability but also for supporting the sustainability of living organism’s life on the earth. However, Indonesian people have not understood it yet, thereby still treating animals arbitrarily and not appreciating either domesticated or wild animals. Aim: This research aimed to analyze the zoo agent’s action in applying the five freedoms principle for animal welfare in Taman Satwa Taru Jurug (thereafter called TSTJ) or Surakarta Zoo and Gembira Loka Zoo (GLZ) of Yogyakarta Indonesia using Giddens structuration theory. Materials and Methods: The informants in this comparative study with explorative were organizers, visitors, and stakeholders of zoos selected using purposive sampling technique. The informants consisted of 19 persons: 8 from TSTJ (Code T) and 10 from GLZ (Code G) and representatives from Natural Resource Conservation Center of Central Java (Code B). Data were collected through observation, in-depth interview, and Focus Group Discussion and Documentation. Data were analyzed using an interactive model of analysis consisting of three components: Data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. Data validation was carried out using method and data source triangulations. Results: Food, nutrition, and nutrition level have been given consistent with the animals’ habit and natural behavior. Animal keepers always maintain their self-cleanliness. GLZ has provided cages according to the technical instruction of constructing ideal cages, but the cages in TSTJ are worrying as they are not consistent with standard, rusty, and damaged, and animals have no partner. Some animals in GLZ are often sick, whereas some animals in TSTJ are dead due to poor maintenance. The iron pillars of cages restrict animal behavior in TSTJ so that they have not had freedom to behave normally yet, whereas, in GLZ, they can move freely in original habitat. The animals in the two zoos have not been free from disruption, stress, and pressure due to the passing over vehicles. Conclusion: There should be strategic communication, information, and education, community development, and law enforcement for the animal welfare.

Masculinity, violence and socioeconomic status in Indonesia

In qualitative interviews conducted during 2009/2010, 86 male interviewees frequently “explained” violence between men in Indonesia as resulting from low socioeconomic status. This paper is not about how violence actually happens, but about how it is explained by Indonesian men. We unpack the discursive assertions of interviewees, and first explore the cultural utility and validity of the “hydraulic pressure” model of male violence found popular in the Indonesian mass media. While some men used this simple model of explosive violence caused by pressure, others acknowledged the active choice of men in marginal economic circumstances to use violence. We then consider this range of explanations for the link between socioeconomic disadvantage and male violence through the lens of Messerschmidt’s “compensatory” thesis on violence and masculinity.