García Rodríguez, Diego; (2020) Qu(e)erying Islam: An Exploration of Queer Muslims and their Allies in Indonesia. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Abstract

This PhD thesis explores gender, sexuality and religion in contemporary Indonesia. It does so by, firstly, analysing how queer Indonesian Muslims come to, and negotiate, their gender, sexual and religious subjectivities, beliefs and practices through interactions with the social forces around them. Secondly, it draws on recent scholarship that attends to ‘agency’ not merely as a synonym for resistance but also as a modality of action to examine the emergence of queer agentic systems through submission to religious duties. Thirdly, it explores how, in contemporary Indonesia, a diverse group of people defined as allies of queer Muslims have come to develop queer-inclusive strategies from within Islam. In engaging with these three levels of analysis, this thesis presents the voices, practices and activism of contemporary Indonesians to explore the role of Islam as a source of emotional strength, guidance, and social support. This thesis is based on a 10-month ethnographic study conducted in 2017 and 2018 on the Indonesian island of Java involving 74 semi-structured in-depth interviews, participant observation and media analysis. This thesis provides a critical account of the voices of queer Muslims and their allies in Indonesia, which have not been examined in depth in existing literature. Additionally, it presents a historical exploration on gender, sexuality and religion in the archipelago. Theoretically, I attend to the voices of my interlocutors to understand the emergence of queer religious agentic systems from within both submission to and negotiation of religious practices and beliefs.

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