Islamising neo-ibuism

ABSTRACT

The demise of the authoritarian regime in 1998 has led to heightened contestation of ideal femininity on various platforms, threatening the state-endorsed dominant ideal femininity, state ibuism. Our study explores how marriage self-help books written by Muslims in post-authoritarian Indonesia portray ideal femininity. Intended to offer guidance to young Muslim readers on what to look for in a future spouse, these books promote an Islamised version of neo-ibuism. Modifying the masculine bias found in interpretations of the Muslim holy scripts, these books on the one hand support women’s increasing public roles and contribution to the family’s income, but on the other hand, sustain women’s subordinate position to men’s in the domestic setting. In doing so, these books aim at both challenging status quo ibuism and preventing young Muslim women from being swayed by emerging alternative ideals, especially those promoted by (Muslim) feminist movements.

ABSTRAK

Runtuhnya rezim otoriter di Indonesia pada 1998 telah menyebabkan meningkatnya perdebatan mengenai femininitas yang ideal di berbagai platform dan hal ini mengancam femininitas ideal dominan yang didukung oleh negara, yaitu ibuisme negara. Penelitian kami mengulas bagaimana buku-buku pengembangan diri tentang pernikahan, yang ditulis oleh umat Islam di Indonesia pasca rezim otoriter, menggambarkan femininitas ideal. Ditujukan untuk memberi panduan kepada para pembaca muda Muslim tentang apa yang harus dicari dalam diri calon pasangan hidup, buku-buku ini mempromosikan versi neo-ibuisme yang Islami. Dengan memodifikasi penafsiran kitab suci yang mengandung bias maskulin, buku-buku ini di satu sisi mendukung peningkatan peran publik dan kontribusi perempuan terhadap pendapatan keluarga, tetapi di sisi lain mereka juga mempertahankan subordinasi perempuan terhadap laki-laki dalam lingkup rumah tangga. Dengan melakukan hal tersebut, buku-buku ini bertujuan untuk menantang status quo ibuisme dan mencegah perempuan Muslim muda terpengaruh oleh nilai-nilai perempuan ideal alternatif yang baru muncul, terutama yang dipromosikan oleh gerakan feminis (Muslim).

KEYWORDS:

• Femininity
• Indonesia
• marriage
• Muslim
• self-help books

KATA KUNCI:

• Femininitas
• Indonesia
• pernikahan
• Muslim
• buku pengembangan diri

Acknowledgements

The research on which this article was based on was supported by the Research Institute and Community Service (LP2M) of Universitas Negeri Malang under PNBP Research Grants in 2021.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The different spellings of salehah, shalehah, shalihah are direct quotations from the sources. In the Dictionary of Indonesian Language (Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia), it is salihah, which means pious.

2 There are 25 authors for this book.

3 La Ode Munafar is also the founder of Indonesia’s Tanpa Pacaran movement and author of the book series with the same title Indonesia tanpa pacaran.

4 Men are the caretakers of women, as men have been provisioned by Allah over women and tasked with supporting them financially. And righteous women are devoutly obedient and, when alone, protective of what Allah has entrusted them with. And if you sense ill-conduct from your women, advise them ˹first˺, ˹if they persist,˺ do not share their beds, ˹but if they still persist,˺ then discipline them ˹gently˺. But if they change their ways, do not be unjust to them. Surely Allah is Most High, All-Great.

5 ‘It was said to the Messenger of Allah: “Which woman is best?” He said: 'The one who makes him happy when he looks at her, obeys him when he commands her, and she does not go against his wishes with regard to herself nor her wealth’”.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Evi Eliyanah

Evi Eliyanah is an Associate Professor at Universitas Negeri Malang, Indonesia, and her research interests are gender, literature and popular culture. Her current research is on marital pairing and family formation, and their representations in Indonesian pop culture. Email: [email protected]

Nurenzia Yannuar

Nurenzia Yannuar is a tenured faculty member at Universitas Negeri Malang. She has published widely on youth language practices in Indonesia, colloquial Indonesian, perceptual dialectology, World Englishes, and translation, among other topics. Her current research is on the representation of women in Indonesian pop culture. Corresponding author, email: [email protected]

Nabhan F. Choiron

Nabhan F. Choiron is a junior faculty member at the Department of English, Universitas Negeri Malang. His research is on English literature and performing arts studies, comprising theatre, dance and cinema, European studies and cultural studies. His current research is on who marries whom in Indonesian cinema. Email: [email protected]

Azizatuz Zahro

Azizatuz Zahro heads the Department of Indonesian, Universitas Negeri Malang. Her expertise includes language education and gender in education. She has published widely on topics such as language learning and gender responsive education, and is also actively involved in the National Association of Gender Studies. Email: [email protected]