Cultural violence: feminist power analysis on Ronggeng performing art

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ronggeng performing art is preserved as one of Indonesian cultural heritages. However, this art is negatively stigmatized and associated with liquor, gambling, and prostitution. Through the novel Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk, Ahmad Tohari highlighted that several practices in this art leave women vulnerable to violence and intensify the negative stigma toward this art. This paper highlights that the cultural shifts during the colonial era are main reason Ronggeng performing arts were associated with drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Interviews with five Ronggeng dancers highlighted that although the violence described by Ahmad Tohari does not occur today; however, the dancers often get abused both verbally and sexually during performances. Employing the feminist theory of power, this paper emphasizes that cultural violence often occurs at the micro and meso levels. At the micro level, the dancers are powerless to control the income and behavior of the audience. The dancers also often experience psychological violence due to verbal abuse by society against them. At the meso-level, this study finds that parents, especially in rural areas, perceive education as unimportant for girls due to patriarchal ideology in the prevailing culture, making women structurally dependent on men and ultimately placing them in vulnerable positions.