Polygamy and Muslim Women in Contemporary Indonesian Literature

This paper will examine the ways in which polygamy is addressed in contemporary Indonesian literature. The literature that will be analysed is that published after the reformation era, whereby new freedoms have encouraged many Muslim writers to raise this controversial issue. This paper will apply feminist theory especially that of the Muslim feminist Amina Wadud. Furthermore, in order to understand the contextuality of the works, a cultural materialist approach is also applied. There are some Indonesian writers who overtly depict polygamy in their literature, such as Habiburrahman El Shirazy and Alfina Dewi. Although they are all Muslims they have different perspectives in presenting the issue of polygamy in their works. These differences reflect Indonesian Islamic society where polygamy is controversial. Some Muslims accept polygamy as Islamic teaching but others do not

Polygamy and Muslim Women in Contemporary Indonesian Literature

This paper will examine the ways in which polygamy is addressed in contemporary Indonesian literature. The literature that will be analysed is that published after the reformation era, whereby new freedoms have encouraged many Muslim writers to raise this controversial issue. This paper will apply feminist theory especially that of the Muslim feminist Amina Wadud. Furthermore, in order to understand the contextuality of the works, a cultural materialist approach is also applied. There are some Indonesian writers who overtly depict polygamy in their literature, such as Habiburrahman El Shirazy and Alfina Dewi. Although they are all Muslims they have different perspectives in presenting the issue of polygamy in their works. These differences reflect Indonesian Islamic society where polygamy is controversial. Some Muslims accept polygamy as Islamic teaching but others do not

Male Perspective on Women in Contemporary Indonesian Islamic Literature

  This paper aims at discussing the image of women in contemporary Indonesian Islamic literature after the ‘Indonesian Reformation’ in 1998. In contrast to the previous era, the images of women in this period are presented differently by male writers. Women are depicted more moderate and progressive. This paper applies the method of sociology of literature whereby literature is regarded as a reflection of its society. It employs content analysis of the text to see how Javanese Muslim women are depicted and how the depiction reflects the society. Two novels discussed in this paper are Cinta Suci Zahrana by Habiburrahman El Shirazy and Perempuan Badai by Mustofa W. Hasyim. The results show that these novels raise various issues of Muslim women in contemporary Indonesia. They show that there is a development in presenting the image of Muslim women in Indonesia. There is a development of thoughts, especially about the social status of women. The changes include the level of education, determination of spouse and freedom to participate in public spheres. The level of education obtained by the main characters is an essential milestone in changing women’s position in Indonesian Muslim society. Women are not just an object, but they should be the subject in the life of the Muslim community.

Review Artikel: Literary Realism: Legal Issues in the United States as Reflected in Gray Mountain by John Grisham

This paper aims at discussing the concept of realism in Grisham’s novel, Gray Mountain. Grisham’s works are really based on his profession, as an attorney. He is an interesting author because he is also a politician and an activist. As a social activist as well as politician, he has great concern on social justice. This paper explores the author’s ideas about injustice reflected in the Gray Mountain. The impacts of the coal mining industry to the social, political and economic in this region are also become the focused of this paper. The study results showed that the events depicted in Gray Mountain were based on the reality of the occurrences in Appalachian society. The novel can be considered as a reflection or criticism of this community

Polygamy and Muslim Women in Contemporary Indonesian Literature

This paper will examine the ways in which polygamy is addressed in contemporary Indonesian literature. The literature that will be analysed is that published after the reformation era, whereby new freedoms have encouraged many Muslim writers to raise this controversial issue. This paper will apply feminist theory especially that of the Muslim feminist Amina Wadud. Furthermore, in order to understand the contextuality of the works, a cultural materialist approach is also applied. There are some Indonesian writers who overtly depict polygamy in their literature, such as Habiburrahman El Shirazy and Alfina Dewi. Although they are all Muslims they have different perspectives in presenting the issue of polygamy in their works. These differences reflect Indonesian Islamic society where polygamy is controversial. Some Muslims accept polygamy as Islamic teaching but others do not

Women’s Socio-Political Dynamics in Indonesian Literature

Literary works have been believed to be media to spread ideas or ideology. This paper seeks to examine the images of women before Indonesia’s Reformation Era as reflected in Ahmad Tohari's Bekisar Merah and after the Reformation Era as reflected in Ayu Utami's Saman. By employing qualitative modes of inquiry and theories in the sociology of literature, this study has shown that images of women before and after Indonesia’s Reformation Era were depicted differently. Before Indonesia’s Reformation Era, the image of women tended to be submissive in dealing with the socio-political dynamics, while after the Reformation Era in 1998, they were depicted as progressive and even rebellious. However, it is also important to notice that this difference indicated the writers' political and ideological preference in describing the women’s position in Indonesian society in their era. The findings of this study support Gramsci's idea about ideological or cultural hegemony presented by literary work

The subordination of black people in the United States Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved

This paper is aimed at discussing Morrison’s novel, Beloved dealing with the issues of human discrimination in the United States. Morrison is a writer who voices human values through discussions on issues of discrimination due to ethnicity, race, and skin color, especially that conducted against black people. She was instrumental in fighting for civil and political rights for black people in the United States, especially in Ohio. This study involves the theory of genetic structuralism to understand the concept of white supremacy. This is intended to see the relationship between white supremacy with the issues of social discrimination in the context of black people in the United States depicted in the novel. The issue of race and social class has always stood out in various groups of people. Even though society has progressed the issues of race, religion, and skin color still cause intergroup conflicts due to various interests. As depicted in the novel, black people are generally side-lined and considered only half human. Consequently, black citizens in the United States are associated with slavery or manual labor)

Similarity Check: International communication of Indonesia-China in the frame of yospan dance diplomacy

Diplomacy and communication between countries have real implications for intercultural encounters, and this position must be seen as an event that is not value-free. Indonesian people residing in China, primarily students, have informal tasks with a national mission, which plays an essential role in cultural communication and cultural diplomacy. They are Indonesian students who have artistic abilities, and every year they always put on performances, one of which is dance performances. This study describes how a traditional dance from Papua, Yospan, can be used as diplomacy between Indonesia and China. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach; each data obtained will be analyzed using international communication theory and soft diplomacy. This study found that traditional dances and literature in cultural missions are one of the tools of cultural diplomacy that can be used to change the stereotypes and prejudices of foreigners about Indonesia. The conclusion in this study shows that traditional culture is a powerful way to build diplomacy in international communication. Therefore, this study recommends that the government supports Indonesian students in establishing Indonesian cultural centers in various friendly countries where Indonesian students study

LAPORAN AKHIR PROGRAM PENGABDIAN KEPADA MASYARAKAT NON REGULER: "Penyuluhan Peningkatan Kemampuan Bahasa Inggris Generasi Muda (bagi Pelajar dan Mahasiswa) di Wilayah Bantul"

Meskipun alat komunikasi sudah maju, tetapi tidak banyak generasi yang menyadari akan peluang besar ini bagi kemajuan mereka sendiri ataupun wilayahnya. Sebagai upaya memberi kesadaran akan pentingnya penguasaan bahasa Inggris, penyuluhan ini bertujuan: memberikan motivasi akan pentingnya belajar Bahasa Inggris dan pelatihan komunikasi terkait administrasi resmi menggunakan bahasa Inggris. Penyuluhan ini dilakukan dalam beberapa tahap. Tahap pertama, adalah tahap penyadaran akan pentingnya penguasaan Bahasa Inggris bagi generasi muda. Pada tahap ini diharapkan generasi muda memiliki semangat untuk belajar Bahasa Asing dengan berbagai media yang mereka miliki saat ini. Tahap kedua adalah pelatihan administrasi dasar dalam Bahasa Inggris. Pada tahap ini peserta dibekali dengan pelatihan memperkenalkan diri baik lisan mapun tulis. Selanjutnya peserta juga mendapatkan pelatihan membuat surat penawaran (business letter) dasar agar mereka bisa menawarkan sesuatu yang ada di lingkungan mereka kepada orang asing. Kegiatan ini dilaksanakan dua kali yaitu pada hari Jum’at-Sabtu tanggal 2-3 September 2022. Pelatihan ini diharapkan akan semakin banyak generasi muda yang mau menekuni belajar Bahasa Inggris dan memanfaatkannya untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan diri dan lingkungannya. Pelatihan ini juga akan dipublikasikan di Majalah Suara Muhammadiyah online