Cuisine is not enough: Transformation of women in Indonesian short stories in the 2000s

  • Harjito Harjito Universitas PGRI, Semarang
  • Nazla Maharani Umaya Universitas PGRI, Semarang
  • Yuli Kurniati Universitas PGRI, Semarang
  • Sri Suciati Universitas PGRI, Semarang

Abstract

Women’s attachment to the world of cooking is not without practical cause, but it is also an ideological process. This paper examines married women’s relationship with cooking and its ideological background in four Indonesian short stories. The stories serve as primary data, discussed through narrative textual analysis, from a feminist perspective. Married women are obligated to be good cooks, especially to earn their husbands’ loyalty and faithfulness, so their main role is in the kitchen. In the meantime, patriarchal ideology is passed on from mothers to daughters. Although not all texts describe women’s resistance to their role in the kitchen, some women resist by preparing food and marketing it with the aim of not relying on their husband’s income alone and gaining economic independence.

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Author Biographies

Harjito Harjito, Universitas PGRI, Semarang

Harjito Harjito’s research interests include gender, with a special expertise in children literature. His book Memandang Perempuan Jawa: Sehimpun Esai Sastra  (“Looking at Javanese Women: A Collection of Literary Essays”) was published in 2020. He is associate professor and lecturer in Universitas PGRI, Semarang, Indonesia, and specializes in the teaching of Theory of Literature.  He can be reached at:  harjito@upgris.ac.id

Nazla Maharani Umaya, Universitas PGRI, Semarang

Nazla Maharani Umaya is a lecturer in Universitas PGRI, Semarang, Indonesia, specializing in the teaching of research methods. She can be reached at:   nazlamaharani@upgris.ac.id

Yuli Kurniati, Universitas PGRI, Semarang

Yuli Kurniati is a lecturer in Universitas PGRI, Semarang, Indonesia, specializing in the teaching of the Javanese language and literature. He can be reached at:  yulikurniati@upgris.ac.id

Sri Suciati, Universitas PGRI, Semarang

Sri Suciati is an associate professor and lecturer in Universitas PGRI, Semarang, Indonesia, specializing in the teaching of Gender Perspektive. He can be reached at:  srisuciati@upgris.ac.id

Published
2022-03-17