Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia

Queer Studies and Cultural Studies are closely intertwined, each offering valuable perspectives on the relationship between power, identity, and social norms. Both fields emerged as responses to marginalization, challenging dominant social and political norms. However, unlike Cultural Studies in Ind...

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Main Author: Ferdiansyah Thajib
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universitas Sanata Dharma 2025-06-01
Series:Retorik: Jurnal Ilmu Humaniora
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Online Access:https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/Retorik/article/view/11944
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author Ferdiansyah Thajib
author_facet Ferdiansyah Thajib
author_sort Ferdiansyah Thajib
collection DOAJ
description Queer Studies and Cultural Studies are closely intertwined, each offering valuable perspectives on the relationship between power, identity, and social norms. Both fields emerged as responses to marginalization, challenging dominant social and political norms. However, unlike Cultural Studies in Indonesia, Queer Studies has yet to establish a strong academic presence. The primary obstacle is the political and social climate, which restricts space for queer discourse in both public and academic arenas. Despite this, queer knowledge continues to evolve in Indonesia, often woven into gender studies, literature, and cultural studies, and more prominently, outside of academia. These conditions, combined with the absence of a formal curriculum, make it challenging to develop Queer Studies cohesively in Indonesia. This paper adopts a scoping review approach, interwoven with personal reflections drawn from my experiences as a researcher situated across two academic realities—Indonesia and abroad—as well as from a decade of engagement with fellow queer scholars in both contexts. It opens by mapping by tracing the development of Queer Studies at transnational, regional, and national levels. The discussion then focuses on the dynamic interplay between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia. Through this inquiry, it becomes evident that the relationship between the two not only reflects a mutually enriching intellectual exchange but also reveals tensions that mirror power dynamics in the production of knowledge. These tensions take hold not only at the discursive level, but also in material, institutional, and affective forms.
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spelling doaj-art-8e5189fbee7b4b48935df430e97613692025-08-20T03:28:13ZengUniversitas Sanata DharmaRetorik: Jurnal Ilmu Humaniora1412-69312549-22252025-06-011318111410.24071/ret.v13i1.119444028Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in IndonesiaFerdiansyah Thajib0FAU Erlangen-NürnbergQueer Studies and Cultural Studies are closely intertwined, each offering valuable perspectives on the relationship between power, identity, and social norms. Both fields emerged as responses to marginalization, challenging dominant social and political norms. However, unlike Cultural Studies in Indonesia, Queer Studies has yet to establish a strong academic presence. The primary obstacle is the political and social climate, which restricts space for queer discourse in both public and academic arenas. Despite this, queer knowledge continues to evolve in Indonesia, often woven into gender studies, literature, and cultural studies, and more prominently, outside of academia. These conditions, combined with the absence of a formal curriculum, make it challenging to develop Queer Studies cohesively in Indonesia. This paper adopts a scoping review approach, interwoven with personal reflections drawn from my experiences as a researcher situated across two academic realities—Indonesia and abroad—as well as from a decade of engagement with fellow queer scholars in both contexts. It opens by mapping by tracing the development of Queer Studies at transnational, regional, and national levels. The discussion then focuses on the dynamic interplay between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia. Through this inquiry, it becomes evident that the relationship between the two not only reflects a mutually enriching intellectual exchange but also reveals tensions that mirror power dynamics in the production of knowledge. These tensions take hold not only at the discursive level, but also in material, institutional, and affective forms.https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/Retorik/article/view/11944kajian queerkajian budayatransnasionalasiaindonesia
spellingShingle Ferdiansyah Thajib
Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia
Retorik: Jurnal Ilmu Humaniora
kajian queer
kajian budaya
transnasional
asia
indonesia
title Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia
title_full Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia
title_fullStr Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia
title_full_unstemmed Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia
title_short Aligned but Unequal: The Uneasy Relationships Between Queer Studies and Cultural Studies in Indonesia
title_sort aligned but unequal the uneasy relationships between queer studies and cultural studies in indonesia
topic kajian queer
kajian budaya
transnasional
asia
indonesia
url https://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/Retorik/article/view/11944
work_keys_str_mv AT ferdiansyahthajib alignedbutunequaltheuneasyrelationshipsbetweenqueerstudiesandculturalstudiesinindonesia