Nurul Ilmi Idrus

In Indonesia, a country with stringent drug laws, psycho-active prescription drugs (PPDs) have become popular among urban youth as they are seen to be safe – both medically and in terms of the risks of being arrested. During the ChemicalYouth project, which involved a multi-sited ethnography in urban centers in South Sulawesi (Makassar, Gowa, and M...

Tu tamanang is a Makassar term for bad soil (butta kodi) for women and bad seed (biné kodi) for men, as sexual intercourse is analogised with planting (lamung-lamung). Whether or not one is considered as tu tamanang is not based on biomedical check-up, but simply on the basis ofmarital duration (5 years and more) and the attributes attached to tu t...

Toraja shares traditions with other ethnic groups in South Sulawesi, but Toraja has its own uniqueness, primarily related to tongkonan, which is not only as physical manifestation—House (banua) and its ‘content’ (harta tongkonan), but it is also a venue for family gathering of the tongkonan members, a house-society and a source of property. This ar...

This paper examines changing sexualities and gender relations as they are reflected in the use of sexual enhancement products by young women and men in the eastern Indonesian city of Makassar. To examine the relationships between the use of these products and socially sanctioned gender roles, their 'gender scripts' were studied - the assumptions em...

The everyday lives of contemporary youths are awash with drugs to boost pleasure, moods, sexual performance, vitality, appearance and health. This paper examines pervasive practices of chemical 'self-maximization' from the perspectives of youths themselves. The research for this paper was conducted among male, female and transgender (male to female...

Background Members of Indonesia's diverse male-to-female transgender community often describe themselves as waria. Waria do not equate being feminine with being female. They do not want to be women; they aspire to be like women. It entails cultivating mannerisms and wearing make-up and women's clothes, shaving one's legs and styling one's hair. But...

Although young people in their everyday lives consume a bewildering array of pharmaceutical, dietary and cosmetic products to self-manage their bodies, moods and sexuality, these practices are generally overlooked by sexual and reproductive health programmes. Nevertheless, this self-management can involve significant (sexual) health risks. This art...

Although young people in their everyday lives consume a bewildering array of pharmaceutical, dietary and cosmetic products to self-manage their bodies, moods and sexuality, these practices are generally overlooked by sexual and reproductive health programmes. Nevertheless, this self-management can involve significant (sexual) health risks. This art...

This article concerns itself with women’s participation in politics and, more specifically, the representation of women in elected legislatures, in Indonesia between 1995 and 2010. The article gives readers a brief overview of the various ways that Indonesian women participate in politics. Examples are given of women being traditional rulers, havin...

This thesis is an ethnography of Bugis marriage. It is concerned with aspects of gender, sexuality and marriage in a bilateral, highly competitive, hierarchical society. ¶ I examine the fundamental concept of siri’ in relation to gender socialisation, courtship, the importance of kinship and status in marriage, how sexuality is regulated between th...