Open Conference Systems, Theology International Conference 2024

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Woman Leadership in Toba Batak Society: a Critical Study on Patriarchy
Megawati Naibaho

Last modified: 2024-03-10

Abstract


This paper is an attempt to highlight the important aspect that leads to the inequality and marginalization of women in Toba Batak society, including their exclusion from leadership roles. In Toba Batak society, many women experience the discrimination and marginalization. Discrimination against women is rationalized by the patriarchal system which is persistent and enduring even to this day. Therefore, the role of the patriarchy system that resulted in the gender-inequality system is those acts that subordinate women in Toba Batak society. The Toba Batak society is a patriarchal society. This Toba Batak patriarchal system, with its ancestral myths, rituals, organizations, and habitual practices shapes the Toba Batak people’s cognitive, affective, and practical dispositions, everyday life activities, and pursuits of various resources. Cultural beliefs and rituals have created an attitude among the Toba Batak to view men as first class and women as second class. Therefore, the Toba Batak people have introduced a breach between men and women, consciously or unconsciously. This breach is manifested in every possible expression of male domination and women subordination in the society. This is alive in every field, involved in every pursuit of capital, true in every kind of doxa, and shaping and shaped in every habitus expression. In the present study, it is contended demonstration about Bourdieu’s theory of practice with his key concepts of habitus, field, capital, doxa, etc, could offer a critical analysis of Toba Batak culture. This chapter also includes the critique of patriarchy by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Mary John Mananzan, and Agustine Prasetyo Murniati, together with other feminists who have engaged with Bourdieu on how to approach this struggle against patriarchy through the inspiration of his theory.


Keywords


Woman Leadership; Batak Society; Feminist Theology; Woman Subordination