2nd International Workshop Interdisciplinary Study group on
Indonesian Women, WIVS
September 1995
Leiden, the Netherlands

INDONESIAN WOMEN IN THE HOUSEHOLD AND BEYOND: RECONSTRUCTING THE
BOUNDARIES

In September 1995, the Werkgroep Indonesische Vrouwen
(WIVS/Interdisciplinary Study Group on Indonesian Women) will
organize its second international workshop in conjunction with
the Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology (KITLV). Its
topic is: Indonesian women in the household and beyond:
reconstructing the boundaries.
Participation is limited to 25 invitees from Indonesia and other
countries.

Proposed themes of working sessions
Intra-household relations and allocation of resources, or spatial
arrangements in relation to women's positions and entitlements.
Possible contributions could be on the effects of social change
(for instance in relation to demography or education) on women's
position in the household, or could reveal inter-cultural
variation, e.g. with respect to women's rights to land, kinship,
and so on. Gender and generational perspectives can be part of
such contributions, since most households consist of children and
adults.

Extra or inter-household relations, focusing on the relationship
of the household to the groups, institutions and networks beyond
its boundaries. The main point at issue may be whether the
household is the most satisfactory level of analysis, This is why
we would also welcome papers which examine the extent to which
other (support) networks, such as kinship, friendship, and
neighbourhood networks, supplement or replace households and
under what conditions.

External relations of households and its members, and their
implications for women's positions and opportunities. For
example, state and market interventions in the colonial and
post-colonial period have created new possibilities for resource
distribution, but have also reallocated existing resources which
in turn have changed decision-making within households.

Image-building and ideology, the gap between norm and practice,
and the social factors influencing both. Possible contributions
might be a critical contextual discussion of changes in normative
Indonesian concepts (like kodrat wanita, ibu rumah tangga, PKK
ideology) or the role of women's magazines and television
commercials in shaping the image of the Indonesian housewife. It
would be interesting to investigate whether changing lifestyles
will (have) develop(ed) as a result.

Specific types of households which are of special concern to
women, such as female-headed households, households of migrants,
squatter households, but also elite households. Such
contributions could give the concept of strategy a central place
in their approach and describe the various strategies women
develop in order to survive or to broaden their own room of
manoeuvre.

We invite papers on any of these five sub-themes (or a
combination of several themes). Those interested to participate
are requested to contact the WIVS Secretariat as soon as
possible:

WIVS Secretariat
Frieda Dharmaperwira
Steenbakkerslaan 5
2352 AL Leiderdorp
The Netherlands
Tel: +31-71-417720 or 71-721182