by HELEN PAUSACKER
Evelyn Blackwood’s book is a fascinating and thought-provoking read, both for those interested in gender roles and issues in Indonesia and for anyone interested in queer theory or history. Blackwood’s research is based on in-depth interviews and participant observation of a small group of 16 participants, who were mainly working-class and lower middle-class. She focuses on Padang (West Sumatra), but she skilfully broadens a detailed description of the group she studied with comparisons to national, Asian and global examples.
Eight of Blackwood’s interviewees are tomboi (or cowok), who are biologically women but who self-identify as men, wearing masculine clothing and working in masculine occupations. The other eight women, the femmes (or cewek), self-identify as ‘normal women’, who are attracted to men. Blackwood is careful to avoid the use of the English terms ‘butch’ and ‘transgender’ for the tomboi, as she feels these do not precisely equate. On the other hand, she does use the English words ‘femme’ and ‘girlfriend’ for the cewek, even though the use of the English ‘femme’ seems equally as problematic: a femme lesbian would not, for example, consider that she is attracted to men.
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