Doctoral Dissertation Research: Self and the Moral Obligations of Husbands and Fathers in a West Sumatran City

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

Indonesia currently faces a period of social instability marked by a struggling economy and widespread political uncertainty. This dissertation research project will ask how concepts of morality, masculinity, and selfhood shape the way Minangkabau men in the West Sumatran city of Bukittinggi adapt to these conditions. West Sumatra is a particularly compelling area in which to examine issues of gender and morality in modern Indonesia due to its unusual mix of a matrilineal social structure with a widespread commitment to Islam. The research plan consists primarily of participant-observation of men's lives in Bukittinggi, interviews concerning the cultural meanings of men's roles and their moral significance, and extended, person-centered interviews conducted with a small number of respondents. These methods are designed to elicit information on the relationship between cultural conceptions of morality and masculinity, the shape of social and economic life in Bukittinggi-and in Indonesia more generally-and Minangkabau men's experiences of themselves as masculine, moral actors. In addition to contributing to the training of a young anthropologist, this study will further the development of anthropological theories of self and subjectivity, and illuminate the dynamic engagement between individuals and cultural worlds experiencing uncertainty and transformation.