Women and Households in Indonesia: Cultural Notions and Social Practices [Paperback]

Critically examines the usefulness of the 'household; concept within the historically and culturally diverse context of Indonesia, exploring in detail the position of women within and beyond domestic arrangements. So far, classical household and kinship studies have not studied how women deal with two major forces which shape and define their world: local kinship traditions, and the universalising ideology of the Indonesian regime, which both provide prescriptions and prohibitions concerning family, marriage, and womanhood. Women are caught between these conflicting notions and practices. How they challenge or accommodate such forces is the main issue in this book.

Exploring in detail the position of women within and beyond domestic arrangements the text looks at the way in which women's agency finds different formats and functions at different levels.'Is a welcome addition to the literature.' - Journal of Social Studies in Southeast Asia'It is useful to have this material placed on record.' - Journal of Islamic Studies

'Is a welcome addition to the literature.' - Journal of Social Studies in Southeast AsiaJuliette Koning, Marleen Nolten, Janet Rodenburg, Ratna Saptari1. Food for Thought: Reflections on the Conference and the Set-up of this Book 2. Women, Family and Household: Tensions in Culture and Practice SECTION II: DOMINANT NOTIONS OF FAMILY AND THE HOUSEHOLD 3. Colonial Ambivalences: European Attitudes towards the Javanese Household ( 1900-1942) 4. Representations of Women's Roles in Household and Society in Indonesian Women's Writing of the 1930s 5. Reconstructing Boundaries and Beyond 6. Beyond Women and the Household in Java: Re-examining the Boundaries SECTION III: CHALLENGING THE HOUSEHOLD CONCEPT 7. Houses, People and Residence: The Fluidity of Ambonese Living ArrangemelCœ