Sharyn Graham DaviesMonash University (Australia) · School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
Sharyn Graham Davies
PhD Anthropology and Asian Studies
About
183
Publications
142,058
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773
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
As an Asian Studies scholar and anthropologist my most significant contribution to knowledge revolves around rethinking ways in which gender operates. My book (with Linda Bennett), Sex and Sexualities in Contemporary Indonesia, won the Ruth Benedict prize for best edited collection. In 2014/2015, I took up a Fulbright award in the US and a Leverhulme Visiting Professorship at the University of Cambridge. In 2017, I was Visiting Fellow at Peking University and in 2018 visiting scholar at the University of Sydney (SSEAC). In 2019, I was co-recipient (with Rhonda Shaw and Elizabeth Kerekere) of a Marsden grant to explore assisted reproductive technologies and family in AotearoaNZ.
Publications
Publications (183)
Introduction Since at least the work of van Gennep in the early 1900s, anthropologists have recognised that borders and thresholds are crucial in understanding human behavior and culture. But particularly in the past few decades, the study of borders has moved from the margins of social inquiry to the centre. At the same time, fashion (Entwistle),...
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic reached Aotearoa New Zealand, stringent lockdown measures lasting 7 weeks were introduced to manage community spread of the virus. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study examining how lockdown measures impacted upon the lives of nurses, midwives and personal care assistants caring for community-ba...
In 2020, the government of Aotearoa New Zealand imposed some of the most stringent funerary restrictions in the world as part of its efforts to eliminate COVID-19. This article explores how people experienced this situation, asking why restrictions that some described as precipitating ‘the most difficult time of their lives’ were described by other...
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic reached Aotearoa New Zealand, stringent lockdown measures lasting 7 weeks were introduced to manage community spread of the virus. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study examining how lockdown measures impacted upon the lives of nurses, midwives and personal care assistants caring for community-ba...
The toxic masculinity of Indonesia’s police was on full display in Malang.
https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/the-toxic-masculinity-of-indonesias-police-was-on-full-display-in-malang/
Davies, S. Chindy Catherine.
Australian Outlook. Nusantara.
Indonesia's New Capital - Australian Institute of International Affairs Indonesia's New Capital - AIIA - Australian Institute of International Affairs
For Indonesia's transgender community, faith can be a source of discrimination – but also tolerance and solace.
https://theconversation.com/for-indonesias-transgender-community-faith-can-be-a-source-of-discrimination-but-also-tolerance-and-solace-193063.
Indonesian version:
Bagi komunitas transgender di Indonesia, keimanan bisa memicu diskrim...
Martin, N., Davies, S. ‘Do you have children?’: How common greetings in Asian communities can feel loaded with stigma for women https://theconversation.com/do-you-have-children-how-common-greetings-in-asian-communities-can-feel-loaded-with-stigma-for-women-192015. Also in Indonesian: https://theconversation.com/sudah-menikah-sudah-berapa-anaknya-ba...
Najmah, Maulidinda, Zico, Davies. HIV Booklet in collaboration between Public Health Faculty Sriwijaya University, South Sumatra Provincial Health Office, Intan Maharani Foundation and Monash University. ‘HIV: Perception, Resilience and Prevention.’
Holroyd, Eleanor, Long, Davies, Sharyn etc al. “Community healthcare workers were left feeling isolated and under-appreciated during the pandemic.” Community healthcare workers were left feeling isolated and under-appreciated during the pandemic (theconversation.com)
Background:
Many public health experts have claimed that elimination strategies of pandemic response allow 'normal social life' to resume. Recognizing that social connections and feelings of normality are important for public health, this study examines whether, and for whom, that goal is realized, and identifies obstacles that may inhibit its ach...
Najmah, Davies, Sharyn. “Endless stigma of HIV and COVID-19.” Inside Indonesia. https://www.insideindonesia.org/endless-stigma-of-hiv-and-covid-19
Apa yang mendorong perubahan moral Indonesia? Translation by Putri Nurul A’La. https://www.newmandala.org/apa-yang-mendorong-perubahan-moral-indonesia/
Pertanyakan niat: pemerintah Indonesia tak berkomitmen hapuskan kekerasan seksual
New Mandela: Available at: https://www.newmandala.org/pertanyakan-niat-pemerintah-indonesia-tak-berkomitmen-hapuskan-kekerasan-seksual/
What’s behind Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in Indonesia?
https://www.newmandala.org/whats-behind-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-in-indonesia/
Reinforcing gendered roles in lockdown abroad. Inside Indonesia. https://www.insideindonesia.org/reinforcing-gendered-roles-in-lockdown-abroad
Insights from Migrant Indonesian women during the 2020 New Zealand national lockdown.
Questioning Intent: The Indonesian government is not committed to eliminating violence
COVID-19 denial in Indonesia.” Inside Indonesia. https://www.insideindonesia.org/covid-19-denial-in-indonesia
In early 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Covid-19 a global health pandemic. Almost all countries have been broadly affected by this disease. These impacts go far beyond health, to include broader social and economic effects. In February 2021, Indonesia reported the highest numbers of Covid-19 cases in South East Asia, w...
Background
Women living with HIV in Indonesia encounter challenging obstacles to healthcare, which is exacerbated by COVID-19. Access is difficult as there are limited numbers of poorly supported healthcare providers. Women also face significant stigma when disclosing their HIV-status.
Objectives
Our main purpose is to give a voice to disempowered...
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic reached Aotearoa New Zealand, a stringent lockdown lasting seven weeks was introduced to manage community spread of the virus. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study examining how lockdown policies impacted upon the lives of those caring for community-based patients. The study involved nationwide...
Objectives
To investigate how successfully SARS-CoV-2 elimination strategies fulfil their promise of allowing a return to a "normal" social life, and to identify obstacles and challenges that may inhibit the realisation of this goal.
Design
Qualitative cross-sectional survey.
Setting
New Zealand community cohort.
Participants
1040 respondents enter...
Los derechos sexuales son derechos humanos fundamentales que los ciudadanos esperan ejercer cuando viven en una democracia que funciona correctamente. Si bien Indonesia ha sido una nación democrática durante más de dos décadas, el acceso a los derechos sexuales es limitado, como podría entenderse en un contexto global. Por ejemplo, existe poca prot...
International media have praised Aotearoa New Zealand for its response to the coronavirus pandemic. While New Zealand Police played a fundamental role in enforcing pandemic control measures, the policing landscape remained plural. This article employs Loader [2000. Plural policing and democratic governance. Social and legal studies, 9 (3), 323–345]...
Lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 have been widely shown to heighten care burdens within households and ‘bubbles.’ Responsibility for meeting such burdens often falls disproportionately upon women. It is nevertheless important for research on gendered inequalities during COVID-19 to attend to the particularities of how such care work...
Lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 have been widely shown to heighten care burdens within households and ‘bubbles.’ Responsibility for meeting such burdens often falls disproportionately upon women. It is nevertheless important for research on gendered inequalities during COVID-19 to attend to the particularities of how such care work...
COVID-19 stories, especially from Aotearoa New Zealand as one of the leading nations ‘winning’ over the virus will be important historical documentation. The ‘team of 5 million’ is writing its narratives of life with/out COVID-19 – stories of ‘living in bubbles’, of ‘being kind’ and ‘being in it together.’ These are narratives of success which need...
Who will study Indonesia in the future?
https://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/who-will-study-indonesia-in-the-future/
Edward Aspinall, Sharyn Davies and Vedi Hadiz
Sydney’s lockdown extension sweetened slightly with singles bubble system.
Herald Sun. https://lens.monash.edu/2021/07/29/1383565/singles-bubbles-no-troubles-how-inclusive-systems-are-effective-in-lockdowns
Lockdown might seem harsh, but it’s a luxury many nations don’t have. The Lens. 24 August. https://lens.monash.edu/2021/08/24/1383683/lockdown-might-seem-harsh-but-its-a-luxury-many-nations-dont-have
Over forty-nine days of Level 4 and Level 3 lockdown, residents of Aotearoa New Zealand were subject to ‘stay home’ regulations that restricted physical contact to members of the same social ‘bubble.’ This article examines their moral decision-making and affective experiences of lockdown, especially when faced with competing obligations: to adhere...
Long, Nicholas J. Aikman, Pounamu Jade, Appleton, Nayantara Sheoran, Davies,
Sharyn, Deckert, Antje, Holroyd, Eleanor, Jivraj, Naseem, Laws, Megan, Simpson, Nikita, Sterling, Rogena, Trnka, Susanna and Tunufa'i, Laumua (2020) Living in bubbles during the coronavirus pandemic: insights from New Zealand. Rapid Research Report. London School of Econo...
What’s Driving Indonesia’s Moral Turn? New Mandela. Available at https://www.newmandala.org/whats-driving-indonesias-moral-turn/
In 2014, Indonesia reinvigorated its commitment to the provision of a universal health care system by introducing the National Health Insurance Program (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional, JKN), with the aim of increasing access to health care for all sectors of society. A key question that emerges in the current climate is: how can Indonesia ensure people...
Indonesia's 2014 health reforms advocated for universal health coverage for all Indonesians. The reforms made provision for integrated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) programmes, with testing available at community health centres and hospitals for pregnant women and women of childbearing age. The question remains, though, as to whether testing h...
Abstract
When New Zealand embarked on its Covid-19 lockdown, the world saw the emergence of a new social form: the “bubble.” This chapter examines bubbles for the social dynamics they enabled and elided, as well as for what the bubble metaphor suggested but did not always deliver. During level 4 lockdown, most New Zealanders (with exceptions such...
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread to almost all provinces in Indonesia, including South Sumatra. Epidemiological models are required to provide evidence for public health policymakers to mitigate the virus. The aim of this study is: 1) to create a prediction model for COVID-19 cases in South Sumatra to help inform about public health po...
This study aims to provide detailed information on the role of the following social determinants (i.e. education, occupation, place of residence, marital and economic status) in the acquisition of HIV knowledge among women of childbearing age (15-49 years old). The study uses secondary data from the 2012 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (ID...
Opinions Should Never Be Dressed Up as Scientific Fact: Indonesian Media and Disinformation. February 26. https://jakartaglobe.id/opinion/opinions-should-never-be-dressed-up-as-scientific-fact-indonesian-media-and-disinformation/
Martin, N., Davies S.Menuju Semangat Penelitian yang ‘Sehat’ dan Bertanggung Jawab. Detik. 31 January. https://news.detik.com/kolom/d-4880654/menuju-semangat-penelitian-yang-sehat-dan-bertanggung-jawab?fbclid=IwAR2M88KewwH-O6egd0Y49V8V4gp9x8z2reeTVZOkR95r0KqJFGzbtLEPS3w
Dede Oetomo, Hendri Yulius and Sharyn Davies (2020). Rejecting homophobic pseudoscience. The Jakarta Post. 30 January. https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2020/01/30/rejecting-homophobic-pseudoscience.html
Indonesia
Davies, S. G., Oetomo, Hendri (2020). Menolak Pseudosains Homofobik. Tirto. https://tirto.id/menolak-pseudosains-homofobik-evrjMenolak Pseudosains Homofobik
The terms LGBT and Islam mentioned together in a sentence rarely evoke positive connotations. Rather, LGBT and Islam are often considered inherently incompatible. While
there is little evidence on which an inherent incompatibility can be claimed, persecution
of LGBT people across the globe is routinely carried out in the name of Islam. Yet at its
h...
Inside Indonesia
link : https://www.insideindonesia.org/wives-and-mothers-and-hiv
An ‘ibu rumah tangga’ (housewife) is an idealised position in Indonesia, one aspired to by many women. Even whilst in power, Indonesia’s only woman president, Megawati Sukarnoputri, said her chief occupation was still as an ibu rumah tangga, serving her husband and ch...
Sexual citizenship remains a concept underutilised in Asia, not least because staking
a claim to sexual rights can be dangerous (Mackie, 2017). The notion that citizen
sexuality is properly circumscribed by the state has long been evident,
however. By the post-World War Two era, legitimate Asian subjects were already
clearly defined around notions...
This book examines the relationship between social movements and democratization in Indonesia. Collectively, progressive social movements have played a critical role in ensuring that different groups of citizens can engage directly in—and benefit from—the political process in a way that was not possible under authoritarianism. However, their indivi...
This chapter examines the transformation of activism for lesbian and gay rights from an understated, but relatively secure, position in the heterosexist context of the New Order to a much more visible, but also vulnerable, movement. Lesbian and gay activists believed that democracy would improve their capacity to move beyond demands for inclusion a...
The historical and contemporary position of male-to-female transgender subjects in Indonesia. In 2016 Indonesian politicians alongside religious leaders announced to a listening media that LGBTQ people were incompatible with Indonesia's cultural and religious tradition. LGBTQ Indonesians were accused of being part of a proxy war funded by Western p...
There have been cases of male transgender in Indonesia, yet there is a small study about them. Why do some biological females claim their identity as male transgender? How do they think of themselves as male transgender? The researcher study their life history and how they see themselves as male transgender. We have a total of six research subjects...
There have been cases of male transgender in Indonesia, yet there is a small study about them. Why do some biological females claim their identity as male transgender? How do they think of themselves as male transgender? The researcher study their life history and how they see themselves as male transgender. We have a total of six research subjects...
An up-to-date guide about getting an Indonesian research visa and research permit
Step by step guide to getting an Indonesian research visa
Women now compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for which Muay Thai is a feeder discipline. It is timely to analyze how the tools of this pugilist trade, women's bodies, are lived and discursively positioned. We explore how bodily attributes (strength and beauty) are positioned visa -vis women fighters by drawing on 17 interviews with women...
Like many women across Aotearoa, I wore a headscarf on March 22 to support my Muslim friends and whānau in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre.
I wore it as a sign of aroha. I wore it as a sign of solidarity. And I wore it because women were afraid to go out in public because the veil identifies them as targets for harassment and prejudice....
If you can’t have kids naturally, that is through heterosexual intercourse, then you’re not meant to have kids. We do after all live in an already over-populated world. There are almost 8 billion of us. We should not waste time, energy and money trying to enable people who leave it too long or want to be involved in same-sex relationships, or have...
We bring together conceptual readings of time and temporality to discuss evolutionary theories of Y chromosome degeneration as they are spoken about in scientific and popular forums. In doing so, we suggest that debates over Y chromosome degeneration involve a form of abduction – tacking back and forth between different pasts, presents, futures – t...
Despite popular understandings and interpretations, Islam is actually one of the most positive of all world religions regarding sexuality. Fulfilling sexual relations is acknowledged as an integral part of heterosexual marriage, and women have the right to divorce their husbands if the latter fail to provide sexual satisfaction. However, Islam acro...
ransgender issues seem particularly modern in the West. Perhaps this is because of how highly structured Western societies are: every form that needs filling in and every public WC available demands choosing between being a woman or a man. Or maybe it seems modern because transgender is associated with surgery, and surgeons have been able to change...
In March 1997, Indonesia's authoritarian President Suharto was re-elected for a seventh five-year term. Suharto's re-election occurred just as the Asian economic crisis was reaching its peak. In July 1997, the Thai baht crashed, resulting in a global loss of confidence among international businesses in Asian currencies. By January 1998, the Indones...
We bring together conceptual readings of time and temporality to discuss evolutionary theories of Y chromosome degeneration as they are spoken about in scientific and popular forums. In doing so, we suggest that debates over Y chromosome degeneration involve a form of abduction-tacking back and forth between different pasts, presents, futures-that...
This article explores HIV transmission in Indonesia.
Most of Indonesian family systems adhere to the patriarchy system, in which the husband has the authority to make decision. It is also the case in Prenduan Village in Sumenep region in Madura Island. This research aimed to know how the body care in Prenduan women in Madura, and how the women’s view upon their body cares. It is interesting to see th...
Women fighting challenges conventional notions of femininity in many ways. A bleeding nose, bruised eyes and swollen lips embody perhaps masculine success but, for many, constitute failed femininity. Yet women fighters, who are attracting unprecedented media attention, are in novel ways forcing a re-imagination of femininity. This article draws on...
Bisexuality refers to a desire for sexual activity with people regardless of their sexed body. For most of human history, sexuality has been considered something people do rather than an activity defining identity. In the late twentieth century, drawing on earlier work by anthropologists such as Margaret Mead and Bronisław Malinowski, and propelled...
World Religions and Spirituality
https://wrldrels.org/2018/07/19/bissu/
Garodi outlines the process for getting an Indonesian research visa and permit
While surfing tourism brings many advantages to isolated communities, it also brings unwanted side-effects. This article explores how people in the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, perceive surfing tourism, taking particular note of how people talk about both the positive and negative influences on their daily lives. The article draws primarily on fiel...
Seksualitas di Indonesia
For two decades now, Indonesia has been held up as the shining example that Islam is compatible with democracy. But recent developments may impact on the nation’s commitment to unity in diversity, writes Sharyn Davies.
This special issue explores morality agendas in the recent Indonesian context, and in doing so reveals the dynamism of morality debates as they occur in Indonesia and in broader Southeast Asian perspectives. In this Introduction we illustrate how morality (or the perceived lack of morality) acted in part as the impetus for reformasi (reformation),...
Few countries as culturally rich, politically pivotal, and naturally beautiful as Indonesia are as often misrepresented in global media and conversation. Stretching 3,400 miles east to west along the equator, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and home to more than four hundred ethnic groups and several major world religions...
Indonesia’s policewomen were rarely in public (or even police) consciousness prior to 2013. Yet the succeeding five years saw an explosion in visibility. Public furore concerning forced virginity testing of recruits, national debate over permitting women to veil on duty, and social media sites consumed with beauty concomitantly propelled policewome...
