Coincidence of Desires

Boellstorff Tom Boellstorff

Description

In A Coincidence of Desires, Tom Boellstorff considers how interdisciplinary collaboration between anthropology and queer studies might enrich both fields. For more than a decade he has visited Indonesia, both as an anthropologist exploring gender and sexuality and as an activist involved in HIV prevention work. Drawing on these experiences, he provides several in-depth case studies, primarily concerning the lives of Indonesian men who term themselves gay (an Indonesian-language word that overlaps with, but does not correspond exactly to, the English word "gay"). These case studies put interdisciplinary research approaches into practice. They are preceded and followed by theoretical meditations on the most productive forms that collaborations between queer studies and anthropology might take. Boellstorff uses theories of time to ask how a model of "coincidence" might open up new possibilities for cooperation between the two disciplines. He also juxtaposes his own work with other scholars' studies of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore to compare queer sexualities across Southeast Asia. In doing so, he asks how comparison might be understood as a queer project and how queerness might be understood as comparative.The case studies contained in A Coincidence of Desires speak to questions about the relation of sexualities to nationalism, religion, and globalization. They include an examination of zines published by gay Indonesians; an analysis of bahasa gay-a slang spoken by gay Indonesians that is increasingly appropriated in Indonesian popular culture; and an exploration of the place of warias (roughly, "male-to-female transvestites") within Indonesian society. Boellstorff also considers the tension between Islam and sexuality in gay Indonesians' lives and a series of incidents in which groups of men, identified with Islamic fundamentalism, violently attacked gatherings of gay men. Collectively, these studies insist on the primacy of empirical investigation to any queer studies project that wishes to speak to the specificities of lived experience.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• Indonesia
• Anthropology
• Indonésie

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 25 avril 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822389538
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

a coincidence of desires

a coincidenceofdesires

anthropology, queer studies, indonesia

t o m b o e l l s t o r f f

;

Duke University Press

durham and london

2007

∫2007

Duke University Press

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States

of America on acid-free paper$

Designed by Katy Clove

Typeset in Sabon

by Keystone Typesetting, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-

Publication Data appear on the last

printed page of this book.

for Bill and Dédé, again

each a happy coincidence

c o nt e nts

Acknowledgments

ix

A Note on Indonesian Terms and Italicizationxiii

introductionqueering disciplines in time

onezines and zones of desire

twowarias,transvestites national

1

35

78

threegaylanguage, registering belonging114

fourbetween religion and desire139

fivethe emergence of political homophobia161

sixcomparatively queer in southeast asia181

Notes219

References235

Index269

a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s

While I cannot thank my Indonesian interlocutors by name due to rea- sons of confidentiality, I am forever indebted to those who over many years have shared and continue to share the most intimate moments of their lives with me. It is the knowledge that I work to interpret their rich and complex lives, not to provide the definitive truth, that allows me to write at all. I dedicate this book to Bill Maurer, my partner, for all his support and good cheer. I also dedicate it to Dédé Oetomo, who has guided me throughout my work in Indonesia with stunning patience and generosity. This book would not exist without them. I also dedicate this book to the memory of Fran Napier, my aunt, and Ruth Boellstorff, my grandmother, who died within a few weeks of each other in 2005. They were both inspirations to me for their immense wisdom, for all they gave to those around them, and for their ability to enjoy life’s moments. My mother, Neva Cozine, has been my anchor of love and comfort in the world. The rest of my family—particularly, my sister, Darcy Boell- storff, my father, John Boellstorff, my stepfather, Daryl Hansen, and my ‘‘in-laws,’’ Lisa Maurer, Maureen Kelly, William Maurer, and Cynthia Maurer, have always been there for me and I can never repay all I owe them. My neighbors and friends in Long Beach have provided me with an unmatched sense of home: I thank in particular Michelle Arend- Ekhoff, Christie Chu, Gemma Davison, Tom Douglas, Thamora Fishel, David Hernandez, and Dominic Lakey. Brian Ulaszewski and Gina Wal- lar have been sources of comfort beyond measure. Ken Wissoker at Duke University Press showed humbling enthusiasm for this project from the beginning. This book could not have happened