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Challenging Gender Norms
Term Paper ID:39611
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Essay Subject:
This paper explores an ethnography conducted among the Bugis culture of Indonesia where five ...... More...
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4 Pages / 900 Words
1 sources, 12 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
This paper explores an ethnography conducted among the Bugis culture of Indonesia where five categories of gender identity expression are illustrated. These categories are described and analyzed in comparison to Western dichotomous notions of gender.
Paper Introduction:
Challenging Gender Norms Introduction Sharyn Graham Davies presents a fascinating ethnography about theBugis who inhabit the southern peninsula of Sulawesi an Indonesian Island The Bugis have no indigenous word for gender in their language and indeed the Bugis exhibit multiple gender identities that undermine thenarrow Western concept of gender as either male or female Davies xv Discovering hints of this multifarious gender conception among the Bugis inthe scant literature available on the topic Davies infiltrated the Bugiscommunity to further explore concepts of
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If the calalai contest notions of womanhood than thecalabai contest notions of "ideal masculinity" and express their owndistinct gendered identity (Davies xvi). The other three demonstrate the richness of gender identityexpressions among the Bugis. The overlap of male and female and masculine and feminine in genderidentity expression among the Bugis is highly evident when looking at theprocess of male and female transgendering that takes place respectivelyamong the calalai and calabai. Failure to do so may make a woman other than a woman,perhaps the masculine female known as the calalai, "individuals who arefemale bodied but who do not consider themselves, nor are they considered,women" (Davies xv). For instance, instead of the genderdenoting terms of "brother" and "sister" being used to describe siblings;the Brugis rely on the terms "younger sibling" or "older sibling" (Daviesxv). 759 4 Challenging Gender Norms Introduction Sharyn Graham Davies presents a fascinating ethnography about theBugis who inhabit the southern peninsula of Sulawesi, an Indonesian Island. The Bugis have "no indigenous word for gender" in their language and,indeed, the Bugis exhibit multiple gender identities that undermine thenarrow Western concept of gender as either "male" or "female" (Davies xv).Discovering hints of this multifarious gender conception among the Bugis inthe scant literature available on the topic, Davies infiltrated the Bugiscommunity to further explore concepts of gender identity. The terms literally mean "false man" and"false woman" respectively (Davies 5 ; 62). Yet like the calalai who renegotiate notions ofwomanhood, the calabai renegotiate notions of manhood by adopting rolestypically associated with women in their relationships with, typically,other males. Challenging Gender Norms: Five Genders among the Bugis in Indonesia. Yet Davies (49) does point outthat despite the broader categories of gender identity expression among theBugis, "the definition of a woman is very strict, and female-bornindividuals who do not act like women may be seen as other than women." Inthese instances, such individuals often negotiate the norms of "woman" intoa masculinized overlap known as the calalai. This is the case with the androgynousshaman referred to as the bissu. While there is no specificterm on the Bugis language to signify gender; the Bugis doe rely on fiveterms that define an individual's gender identity: makkunrai (femininewoman), oroane (masculine man), calalai (masculine female), calabai(feminine male), and bissu (transgender shaman) (Davies xii). The calabai will often go togreat lengths as men to feminize the body and appearance, including breastenhancement surgery and silicon injections. As Davies (67)explains, in Indonesian the "nuclear family, with the man as husband,father, and head of the family, and the woman as wife and mother, is thefavored model...One way in which calabai negotiate this norm is by assumingthe role of wife in romantic relationships." Davies (67) notes that inmany instances of marriage between a calabai and a male, the relationshipsmirror "heteronormative relationships" in many ways. In this way, the body and appearance are not only feminizedbut so are the behaviors and roles adopted by the calabai. Some go as far as sex-reassignment surgery. Some gendered identity expressions in the Bugis culture derive fromspiritual and religious beliefs. UnlikeWestern cultures where gender socialization with rigid rules of behaviorand strict norms begins from the moment of an individual's birth, gender istypically downplayed in Bugis culture. What this ethnography clearly demonstratesis that more than two genders are definitely possible and a multifariousconcept of gender might be more beneficial to individuals and society thanthose that are dichotomous.Works CitedGraham Davies, Sharyn. Among the Bugis culturethere is a multiplicity of gender identities. Body Gender notions in the West have been historically dichotomous,seeing two gender identities in the form of "male" and "female" that areview "in opposition" to each other (Davies xiii). Such evidencedemonstrates just how narrow Western dichotomies of gender are incomparison to the Bugis culture. In this manner, individuals inBrugis culture are not as restricted in terms of expressing gender identityas are individuals in the West. The outcome ofDavies' study is support for the fact that more than two genders aredefinitely possible and Western concepts of gender and male and female arenarrowly constructed in comparison to the example and experience of theBugis. Belmont, CA: Thompson Higher Education, 2 7. The social constructs of gender identity among the Brugis derivefrom a number of variables whose combination give rise to differentexpressions. In the culture of the Brugis, broadernotions of gender identity and multiple gender identity expressions permitgreater fluidity in gender expression. For example, if one is a makkunrai or feminine woman, onemust be female and exhibit the look, actions, and femininity associatedwith a makkunrai. As Davies (xvi) notes, "Bissu derivetheir power from the belief that they are predifferentiated beings whoembody a perfect combination of female and male elements." Seeingthemselves as an amalgam of male and female and masculine and feminine, thebissu believe they have not yet split into male or female entities. Conclusion In conclusion, from the controversy on same-sex marriage to hatecrimes against gays or the transgendered, a great deal of conflict arisesin Western culture from dichotomous notions of gender that are viewed asbeing in conflict with each other. The firsttwo categories are more in keeping with conventional Western notions ofgender.
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