LAUGHING AT FEMININITY: GENDER REGULATION IN ARJA MUANI

Abstract

Arja muani is a Balinese performing art in which all characters, including female roles, are performed by men. Although accepted as entertainment on stage, male dancers who perform femininity often experience stigma and social labeling outside the performance space. This study aims to analyze how power relations operate in arja muani performances through social discourse surrounding gender and masculinity. Using a qualitative approach within cultural studies, this research applies Mitchel Foucault’s theory of power relations to examine communitiy responses toward crossgender performance. The findings show that power relations are formed through collective social knowledge, traditional episteme, sexist jokes, public laughter, and institutional legitimization. Society simultaneously accepts and controls feminine expressions by limiting them within the realm of entertainment. Thus, arja muani becomes an ambivalent cultural space where gender, body, and social power are continuously negotiated within Balinese patriarchal culture.