Kartini Day: FIB Unpad and GXUN Organize Public Lecture on Women and Social Transformation

On April 20 at 20.00 – 22.00, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences of Universitas Padjadjaran in collaboration with the Indonesia Keluargaku Program, Guangxi Nationality University (GXUN), and GXUN Foreign Language University held an online public lecture entitled “Women and Social Transformation: Gender Equality for All” presented by Professor Aquarini Priyatna, also the Dean of FIB Unpad. The event was attended by lecturers and students from the three universities, lecturers and students from other universities in Indonesia and China, and the general public.

This activity was opened by several remarks from the organizers, video presentations about Indonesia and China, and poetry reading about Kartini read by Naulia, an Indonesian study program student.

Before entering the main event of the public lecture, the general view of past Chinese society towards women was presented by Rahayu, a third semester GXUN student. The view of Chinese feudal society is a patrilineal society dominated by men. Women had no right to participate in government affairs. Men as the controllers made various ways to restrain women.

In feudal society, a woman must obey three obediences and four virtues. The three obediences are: before marriage she must obey the father, after marriage she must obey the husband, when the husband obeys the son. This is called the three obediences, while the four virtues refer to 妇德、妇言、妇容、妇功, which are women’s morals, women’s words, women’s appearance, and women’s merit.

After the founding of New China, women led by 杨开慧Yang Kaihui, 向警予Xiang Jingyu, and邓颖超 Deng Yingchao started the women’s liberation movement, fighting against feudal prejudices that deem “men are superior to women” and “weak women” as virtues. They even sacrificed their lives for “equal rights between men and women” in China.

At the core of the public lecture, Professor Aquarini Priyatna opened her presentation by explaining the difference between emancipation and equality. Nowadays, we no longer use the word “emancipation,” but it is more appropriate to use “equality.” This is because the word emancipation has the meaning of equalizing, whereas in this context, it does not mean that women must be the same as men.

Furthermore, she explained why Kartini’s struggle is better known in Indonesia; because Kartini wrote close to the Dutch colonials. Kartini wrote about her turmoil, about her desire to go to school, about her pain over injustice, about her ideal ideas about men and women. Prof. Aquarini also introduced several other female heroines in Indonesia, namely Dewi Sartika, Kartini-Kardinah-Roekmini, Maria J.C.. Maramis, Rohana Kudus, Rasuna Said, Cut Nyak Dien, Martina Cristina Tijahahu, Opung Daeng Risaju, Nyi Ageng Serang. This shows that the struggle for gender equality is carried out by many people because no struggle can be completed by one person.

Professor Aquarini continued by saying that the previous women fighters showed that writing is a form of struggle and writing is important so that we can push others to listen to us; and she gave examples of several Indonesian women writers, such as Lasminingrat, NH Dini, Suwarsih Djojopuspito.

In the end, she emphasized that reading, writing, and storytelling are important for women because education is the key to opening minds. The implication of this is that education is very important for women. If we invest in a woman to go to school, the benefits are not only for her, but also for her surroundings. Women who have an education will become a catalyst for their environment and can also have an impact on economic independence. This can encourage women to be more courageous in taking part in other domains. If this is established, it is at this point that social transformation is built.

Writer: FIB Media Team
Translator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah