Knowing responsibly: decolonizing knowledge production of Indonesian girlhood

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite increasing scholarship on Indonesian women, issues on girlhood, continues to be unrecognized. When they enter the frame of discussion, Indonesian girls are discussed as targets of development projects or at-risk subjects. This article asks: Why are girls studies overlooked in Indonesia? What potentials do the Indonesian girls have for the feminist scholarship and girls studies? How can we be mindful of making knowledge about Indonesian girls? It pays attention to the kind of knowledge girls make and their representations in media, while taking into account the power dynamics shaping the knowledge. We propose a new framework of knowledge production about girls. Through three case studies of Awkarin, Voice of Baceprot, and Peduli Jilbab, the article demonstrates that the female youth in Indonesia are contradictory yet prolific and influential socio-political actors. We propose the idea of “knowing responsibly” as a step towards decolonizing knowledge production of these girls. This paper aims to critique and contribute to the growing but often Western-centric Girls’ Studies and Indonesian feminist studies. It also serves as a refusal to the ignorant, protective, and controlling way of knowing about girls and a commitment to applying decolonial frameworks which allow us to alter our way of knowing.