Coded Feminisms in Indonesia
Stefanie Wuschitz, Astrid Reza · Electronic workshops in computing · 2021
Citizen labs often take in the role of promoting equality and tech literacy in their community. These two aims are entangled when it comes to enabling free speech online and offline. The methods of Indonesian citizen labs were shaped by decades of state propaganda and extended colonialism. These citizen labs also have deep roots in Indonesia's history, which informs the way critical media practises are cultivated. Sharing tech skills, offering formats for critical thinking and creativity was performed with a specific form of care, one that protects participants through encoding. In this paper we want to focus on three generations of Indonesian pioneers, who set up feminist citizen labs struggling against hegemonic forces. In particular we are investigating the roots of feminist citizen labs in the grassroot organization Gerwani. In the scope of our arts-based research project interviews with survivors of this destroyed women movement and interviews with initiators and members of current collectives were translated into an animated documentary.