Tobacco consumption is often associated with men and considered a product of masculinity. In reality, women (who work as tobacco farmers) play a significant role in the tobacco production process, including cultivation, rituals, household tasks, and the tobacco economy. During the tobacco season, women work tirelessly, starting from preparing various rituals for the tobacco season, preparing food during the tobacco production process, and taking on roles in the tobacco production itself.
“The role of women is often disregarded or erased due to masculinity. It is important to carry out demasculinization so that women’s roles are more recognized in the tobacco production process,” said Laila Dhiah Indriani, an alumnae of the Master Program in Cultural Studies and Media (KBM) during the Research Week event held on Wednesday (19/02) via Zoom.
The weakening of women’s roles is also experienced by the women of the Kokoda Maibo Tribe in West Papua. They face state violence, domestic violence, cultural discrimination, and treatment that differs from that of local elite women who have access to education. This was shared by Siti Rahayu Fatimah Renfaan in her research titled “Service and Resistance of the Women of the Kokoda Maibo Tribe in the Socio-Cultural Dynamics of Southwest Papua.”
The women of the Kokoda Tribe, in response to this situation, have resisted and negotiated, though privately. “The most striking form of resistance is through negotiating their identity as ideal wives and mothers,” added Siti. Siti concluded that although the women’s resistance in the Kokoda Tribe has not yet been openly expressed, they have shown that no matter how tough the situation, it does not break their lives.
In the second session of Research Week, Hasan Labiqul Aqil also shared his research on “Critical Discourse Analysis of the Reporting on the Sampang Shia Group in Local Online Media in Madura.” In his research, Hasan revealed that the media tends to side with the dominant group by portraying the Shia group negatively and simplifying the complexity of the situations they face. The media also focuses on attracting reader attention for economic gain rather than being a platform for marginalized or underrepresented voices.
After the presentations by the three alumni, the Research Week event concluded with a Q&A session. KBM students were able to discuss and gain inspiration and insight for their future research projects. In addition to being a forum for research discussion, the event also served as a platform to promote the KBM Program by spreading awareness of what is learned in the program.
Author: Asti Rahmaningrum