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Our Research Project focuses on Women and Peace issues

Ramita Paraswati – Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This article examined the role of Indonesia in mainstreaming the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region by positioning itself as a middle power. Indonesia has strategically planned its status as a middle power and implemented it in the WPS issue, where the gender inequality index in ASEAN is still high. By employing role theory to explain middle-power behavior, this study explores the factors of historical experience, ego, and altered expectations relating to advancing the WPS agenda in ASEAN. This research used a qualitative method, in-depth stakeholder interviews, and a desk literature review. This study argues that Indonesia appears to be a middle power in promoting UNSCR 1325 in ASEAN, significantly influenced by the background of Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in determining the middle power’s role. Moreover, the Indonesian civil society organizations (CSOs) experience on the WPS agenda also influence people-to-people collaboration in ASEAN. These findings contribute to studying how a state positions itself as a middle power on the WPS issue.
 
Keywords: UNSCR 1325, WPS, Indonesia, ASEAN

Muhammad Rosyid, Ramita Paraswati – Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

ABSTRACT

The ideology of the caliphate is being intensely discussed in the Indonesian Muslim community, following the appearance of the Khilafatul Muslimin (KM) convoy that invites to welcome the emergence of the caliphate. This study focuses on examining the response of Muslim youth in Solo to the ideas of the caliphate, which are widely mushrooming in the mass media, especially in the Kaffah bulletin, one of the bulletins that disseminate the caliphate ideology on various platforms. This research uses the descriptive qualitative method, which provides descriptive data from the analysis results on the Kaffah in as many as 256 editions. The data collection technique used in this research is critical content analysis, interview, focus group discussion, and documentation. This paper argues that Kaffah has successfully promoted and mobilized young people to be attracted to the idea of the caliphate because they could neatly package religious doctrines with the hot issues being discussed. However, in brainwashing the public through the pamphlet, Kaffah is frequently questionable, quoting dhaif hadiths, distorting opinions, and utilizing fake news to support statements propagated by their affiliates.

Keywords: Propaganda, Caliphate Ideology, Kaffah Bulletin, Muslim Youth

Difa Mahya Zahara – Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Patriarchal culture in Indonesia affects vast aspects of social life, including in schools where students acquire an understanding of gender. One of the prominent gender issues in social encounters within a patriarchal culture is the uniquely female experiences of objectification at school. This article draws on data from a qualitative study on Muslim female students in an Indonesian Islamic Middle School to understand female students’ experience of objectification by applying a psychosocial feminist objectification theory (Fredrickson and Robert, 1997). The study finds that non-sexual objectifying treatment from male peers is manifested in male gazes and comments on women’s general physical appearance, and specifically on  Islamic apparel—the veil and modest Muslim style clothing.  More direct sexual objectification occurs in the form of male gazes and sexual comments on certain body parts, such as the chest and hips. These experiences are understood by female students’ male-centered understanding of the Islamic feminine ideal which contributes to their withdrawal from physical activities at school as in Physical Education and art performance courses. This research argues for separate PE classes as a temporary alternative for the sake of female students’ participation.

Keywords : objectification; gender, educatiom, feminism, physical activities

Difa Mahya Zahara – Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Emerging adulthood is a stage where identity exploration is one of its developmental tasks. As most modern-age emerging adults participate in higher education, educational context becomes decisive in understanding their identity development, including the physical identity (body image) of female college students, especially considering the increasing participation of women in higher education which reflects the necessity to attend to their educational and developmental needs. This study draws qualitative data through a phenomenological study of four female college students of an Islamic university in an urban area of Indonesia, specifically the English Literature students. By applying the feminist theory of objectification and the concept of emerging adulthood, this study aims to understand how female college students experience objectification specific to their educational context and how it impacts their physical identity development as emerging adults. This study finds that objectification is experienced by female college students through the curriculum; learning contents, media, dress codes, and students-lecturers, students-peers, as well as students-staff relationships. The experiences indicate negative views of their physique during the college years reflected in negative subjective experiences (shame, anxiety, disrupted peak motivational states, and diminished awareness of internal bodily states), as well as eating disorder risks. However, an overall positive body image is observed in the current time once graduating which rather reveals a non-appearance-focused physical identity—physical health, comfort, and safety—achieved through contextual and reflective thinking. Thus, this study suggests the implication of college or higher education as a facilitator of emerging adults’ physical identity exploration.

Keywords : objectification; higher education; emerging adulthood; physical identity; body image

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