Born in the West?

The beginning of feminism, known as the first wave, was a civil movement to abolish slavery in the United States and to voice women’s right to vote in elections. This movement was initiated in the mid-19th century, around 1848, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her close friend Susan B. Anthony. Then, in the 20th century, feminist movements with socialist ideals became known in Europe. Well-known figures include Emma Goldman, Clara Zetkin, and Rosa Luxemburg. This spirit spread to Asia and Africa, which at that time were struggling to break free from European colonialism.

In Indonesia itself, at roughly the same timeline between the 1870s and 1900s, R.A. Kartini became the central figure of early feminism in Indonesia. She was greatly influenced by her pen pal, Stella Zeehandelaar, who was also a socialist feminist. Thus, the accusation that feminism with a Western ideology, particularly Dutch, had a bad influence and impact is completely untrue. On the contrary, the exchange of ideas about liberation from oppression and the importance of a decent and equal life for every human being helped give birth to the Indonesian nation.

The Indonesian Context and the Definition of “Perempuan” vs. “Wanita”

Discussing the context of Indonesian feminism cannot be separated from defining what and who a perempuan is. It was in this second wave that studies and challenges emerged to distinguish the word “perempuan” from “wanita,” which was full of debate and political interest-driven controversy. The root of the word “wanita” comes from the Sanskrit vanita, meaning “that which is desired.” This means that women became objects for men. Worse, the word vanita was absorbed into Old Javanese as “wanita.” The feudal Old Javanese culture of that time placed women as someone who wani ditata (willing to be ordered), especially in the domestic sphere. Not to mention the controversy over Gerwani (Indonesian Women’s Movement), which under Soeharto’s dictatorship was destroyed and deemed harmful after it gained power following the G30S incident in 1965.

In contrast, the word “perempuan” refers to a complete human being who seeks to take ownership of their own authority. On December 22, 1928, the Women’s Congress showed resistance by using the word “perempuan” to replace “wanita.” Unfortunately, during Soekarno’s era, the word “wanita” was again promoted with the aim of subjugating women and creating the impression that women must be gentle, obedient, submissive, and act as companions and supporters. This effort is alleged to have suppressed the women’s movement and became a politics of motherhood (ibuisme). Look at the organizations founded at that time, such as Dharma Wanita, PKK (Family Welfare Empowerment), the association of civil servants’ wives, and the creation of the State Ministry for Women’s Role Affairs (MENUPW).

It was only in the 1980s that a women’s movement began to emerge that sought to resist and restore the essence of the word “perempuan.” Several well-known pioneers included APIK (Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice), Yayasan Perempuan Merdika, and Solidaritas Perempuan. Unfortunately, in the KBBI (Great Indonesian Dictionary) published on October 28, 1988, both the words “perempuan” and “wanita” still appeared with pejorative connotations, especially in the examples. A little hope emerged during the presidency of Gus Dur, when the State Ministry for Women’s Role Affairs (MENUPW) was renamed the State Ministry for Women’s Empowerment (MenegPP).

In the end, whether the word “perempuan” or “wanita” is used, it must be reclaimed and made a choice and possession of the humans who call themselves perempuan or wanita. So that no word is seen as higher or lower.

Feminism as Gender Equality and Human Justice

As discussed in Tabayyun with Feminism last week, feminism is not only about women. Feminism is a social movement for gender equality and human justice. Why gender? Because gender is the benchmark that determines a person’s position and role in the social system. Well, the roles within this structure foster power that tends to be abused by one dominant party. In this context, besides roles and positions, gender also includes identity and expression.

Then, the emergence of the term patriarchy comes from male domination of strategic positions and roles in various important fields and institutions such as politics, law, economics, and social life. This is the strong reason why feminism was born: to change and fight against patriarchy. Not only for women, but also for non-masculine genders so they can obtain justice and equality as human beings. The core value of feminism is the character of fair collaboration, not competition. So it is completely untrue that feminism is a movement that hates and competes with men.

Further related to the history of feminism in the Indonesian context, women’s organizations also emerged that fought for the abolition of violence and for SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights). The first organization to be born was Kalyanamitra in 1985. Then LBH APIK (Legal Aid Institute of the Indonesian Women’s Association for Justice) emerged in 1998 as an active effort by women in Indonesia to support Chinese women who became victims of mass rape.

Entering 2010 and beyond, more and more feminist movements have incorporated broader gender identities, especially non-masculine ones, along with various sexuality issues. Komnas Perempuan is one of the fairly progressive organizations in interpreting the word perempuan, which is not limited by biological or sociological categorization. Newer feminist movements focusing on grassroots work also emerged, such as the transwomen movement of SGRC (Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies) and SWARA (Young Waria Studio).

The road of struggle is still long, and behind the ups and downs of the feminist movement in Indonesia, a lot of work remains unfinished, such as the yet-to-be-passed Bill on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS). Around the world, feminism has also risen up to fight various forms of discrimination, including on the basis of skin color and class.

 

Sources:

Jenainati, Cathia & Groves, Jody. (2007). Introducing Feminism. USA. Gutenberg Press.

Karima Melati, Nadya. (2019). Apa yang Perlu Diketahui tentang Dasar-Dasar Feminisme (1). Jakarta. Magdalene. https://magdalene.co/story/yang-perlu-diketahui-tentang-dasar-dasar-feminisme.

Karima Melati, Nadya. (2019). Apa yang Perlu Diketahui tentang Dasar-Dasar Feminisme (2). Jakarta. Magdalene. https://magdalene.co/story/dasar-dasar-feminisme-2.

Kumparan. (2019). Sejarah Feminisme dalam Bingkai Filsafat Barat. Jakarta. Kumparan. https://kumparan.com/kumparannews/sejarah-feminisme-dalam-bingkai-filsafat-barat-1qqbDcV48RO/full.

Parhani, Siti. (2021). Antara Wanita dan Perempuan, Apa Bedanya? Jakarta. Magdalene. https://magdalene.co/story/antara-wanita-dan-perempuan-apa-bedanya.