Challenging Gender Norms: Five Genders Among Bugis in Indonesia

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Thomson Wadsworth, 2007 - 152 Seiten
As part of the Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology series, edited by George Spindler and Janice E. Stockard, Sharyn Graham brings us CHALLENGING GENDER NORMS: THE FIVE GENDERS OF INDONESIA. This case study explores the Bugis ethnic group, native to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, that recognizes five gender categories rather than the two acknowledged in most societies. The Bugis acknowledge three sexes (female, male, hermaphrodite), four genders (women, men, calabai, and calalai), and a fifth meta-gender group, the bissu. This ethnography presents individuals' stories, opinions and deliberations, grounding discussions of how gendered identities are constructed in a rapidly changing cultural milieu. The rich ethnographic material contained in this book challenges two types of Western theory ? queer theory, which tends to focus on sexuality, and feminist theory, which tends to focus on social gender enactment. Neither theory is well-equipped for articulating the complexities of multiple gender identities and a multifarious gender system. By unraveling social negotiations and examining both individual embodiment and the impact of global forces on localized identities, the book proposes a new theory of gender which incorporates appreciation of variously gendered subjectivities.

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Inhalt

This Thing Called Gender
15
Fate Spirit and the X Factor
23
Conclusion
29
Urheberrecht

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Autoren-Profil (2007)

Sharyn Graham is a Senior Lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. She completed her PhD at the University of Western Australia in 2004, and this case study grew out of her extensive study and years of fieldwork in Sulawesi. Dr. Graham has published numerous journal articles and book chapters while earning her degree. She has received abundant research grants and awards for her impressive scholarship and regularly presents papers at prominent meetings. Dr. Graham is also an active member of several international anthropological committees and organizations.

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