DIALECTICS OF AUTONOMY AND OBJECTIFICATION OF WOMEN'S BODIES IN THE SING BELING SING NGANTEN DISCOURSE IN BALI

Abstract

Women are autonomous owners of their own bodies, but various ideologies and powers have disciplined women's bodies. The discourse of sing beling sing nganten in Bali becomes a channel for ideology and patriarchal power to assess women's bodies in the context of sexuality and reproduction. On this basis, this article aims to critically reveal the dialectic of autonomy and objectification of women's bodies in the sing beling sing nganten discourse in Bali through a descriptive-qualitative method based on a critical discourse analysis approach. The results of this study found that the discourse of sing beling sing nganten in Bali reduces Balinese women's bodily autonomy to being limited to objects of sexuality and reproduction. The hegemony of patriarchal power by making sexuality and pregnancy the determining factors for the continuity of a committed relationship has weakened the position of women to become autonomous owners of their own bodies. Body objectification occurs when women have to accept premarital sex, pregnancy and birth in accordance with the natural nature of their bodies.

Keywords: dialectics; autonomy; objectification; women’s bodies; sing beling sing nganten discourse.