Indonesian Women and Local Politics

Islam, Gender and Networks in Post-Suharto Indonesia

In an important social change, female Muslim political leaders in Java have enjoyed considerable success in direct local elections following the fall of Suharto in Indonesia. Indonesian Women and Local Politics shows that Islam, gender, and social networks have been decisive in their political victories. Islamic ideas concerning female leadership provide a strong religious foundation for their political campaigns. However, their approach to women's issues shows that female leaders do not necessarily adopt a woman's perspectives when formulating policies. This new trend of Muslim women in politics will continue to shape the growth and direction of democratization in local politics in post-Suharto Indonesia and will color future discourse on gender, politics, and Islam in contemporary Southeast Asia.

Other noble women followed her steps: Dewi Sartika founded a girl's school in
Bandung in 1904, Kartini's Dutch association under the initiative of Van Deventer
in 1912 founded a number of Kartini schools in Semarang, Jakarta, Malang, ...