skip to main content

MEDIA ORIENTALISM: THAILAND QUEER GENDER DEPICTIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF CONTEMPORARY INDONESIAN POPULAR MEDIA

*Sandy Allifiansyah orcid scopus  -  Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia
M Fikri Akbar orcid scopus  -  Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia
Nada Arina Romli  -  Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia

Citation Format:
Abstract

This research aims to examine the orientalism characteristics in contemporary Indonesian popular media contents on Thailand queer gender images. As Indonesian society consume popular contents from various forms, the popular textual ideology definitely conceives the dominant media cognitive which imposes and drives people perspective on various issues, including queer gender from overseas. Popular media contents become the major reference as they’re easy to access, packed in simple languages and sensational. Thailand as the neighboring country has well known by its vibrant queer gender environment. This image has been articulated in the Indonesian popular media for a long time. Nevertheless, as the LGBT moral panic begins to emerge in contemporary Indonesia, the current Thailand queer gender depictions in Indonesian popular media has also shown frivolous tunes and justifications. This study used Van Dijk’s critical discourse analysis to dissect how Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism works in 21st century popular media contents. Examining 76 Indonesian popular media contents as in pop news websites, commercial movies, popular Youtube channels, and prime time variety shows, the research reveals 11 characters of Indonesian media orientalism point of views toward Thailand queer gender images. Notably, the study found 11 media orientalism characters have just emerged in the last 5-6 years, in parallel with the rise of moral panic against LGBT community in contemporary Indonesia.  

Fulltext View|Download
Keywords: Discourse; Media Orientalism; Popular Culture; Queer; Thailand

Article Metrics:

  1. Angelmuller, J., Maingueneau, D., & Wodak, R. (2014). Sociopragmatics. In J. Angelmuller, D. Maingueneau, & R. Wodak, The Discourse Studies Reader: Main Currents in Theory and Analysis (pp. 257-262). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company
  2. Berger, A. A. (2007). Thailand Tourism. London: Routledge
  3. Blackburn, S. (2004). Women and The State in Modern Indonesia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  4. Chee, C. H., & Siddique, S. (2019). Singapore's Multiculturalism: Evolving Diversity. London: Routledge
  5. Davies, S. G. (2018). Gender and Sexual Plurality in Indonesia: Past and Present. In R. W. Wefner, Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Indonesia (pp. 309-321). New York: Routledge
  6. Dahono, Y. (2018, January 18). Archive: Kominfo Blokir Aplikasi Bermuatan LGBT (Kominfo Blocks Applications with LGBT Contents). Retrieved February 1, 2021, from Beritasatu: https://www.beritasatu.com/archive/473960/kominfo-blokir-aplikasi-bermuatan-lgbt#!
  7. Du, Y., Li, J., Pan, B., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Lost in Thailand: A Case Study on The Impact of Film on Tourist Behavior. Journal of Vacation Marketing XX (X): 1-13
  8. Dijk, T. A. (1988). News as Discourse. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
  9. Dijk, T. A. (2008). Discourse and Context: A Sociocognitive Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  10. Fairclough, N. (1992). Intertextuality in Critical Discourse Analysis. Linguistics and Education 4 (3-4): 269-293
  11. Hadiz, V. R. (2013). A New Islamic Populism and The Contradiction of Development. Journal of Contemporary Asia 44 (1): 125-143
  12. Ibrahim, A. (2016). The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar's Genocide. Oxford: Oxford University Press
  13. Jackson, P. A. (2011). Bangkok's Early Twenty-First Century Queer Boom. In P. A. Jackson, Queer Bangkok: Twenty First Century Markets, Media, Rights (pp. 17-42). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press
  14. Jory, P. (2001). The King and Us: Representation of Monarchy in Thailand and Case of Anna and The King . International Journal of Cultural Studies 4 (2): 201-218
  15. Kelley, D. (2014). The Art of Reasoning: An Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking. New York: W.W. Norton & Company
  16. Kellner, D. (2003). Media Spectacle. London & New York: Routledge
  17. Khair, T. (2011). Re-Orientalism: Mediations on Exoticism and Transcendence, Otherness and The Self. In L. Lau, & A. C. Mendes, Re-Orientalism and South Asian Identity Politics (pp. 146-160). London & New York: Routledge
  18. Law, L., Bunnell, T., & Ong, C.-E. (2007). The Beach, The Gaze and Film Tourism. Tourist Studies 7(2): 141-164
  19. Listiorini, D., Sarwono, B., & Hidayana, I. (2019). The Framing of Gay Candidate for Human Right Commisioner in The Religious-Based Indonesian Online Portals. International Graduate Students and Scholars’ Conference in Indonesia (pp. 49-67). Jakarta: KnE Social Sciences
  20. Listiorini, D. (2018). Wacana Kepanikan Moral Berita LGBTI 2016-2018. Jakarta: Publication of Partial Doctoral Thesis Research
  21. Ludwig, G. (2011). From 'The Heterosexual Matrix' to 'Heteronormative Hegemony': Initiating a Dialogue between Judith Butler and Antonio Gramsci about Queer Theory and Politics. In M. D. Varela, N. Dhawan, & A. Engel, Hegemony and Heteronormativity: Revisiting 'The Political' in Queer Politics (pp. 43-62). Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Limited
  22. Mujani, S. (2016). Toleransi Sosial-Politik Nasional. Jakarta: Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting
  23. Murtagh, B. (2011). Bangkok's Most Beautiful Men: Images of Thai Liberality in an Indonesian Gay Novel. In P. A. Jackson, Queer Bangkok: 21 Century Markets, Media, and Rights (pp. 163-180). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press
  24. Oetomo, Dede. (1991, July 7). Homoseksualitas di Indonesia. Prisma
  25. Robinson, K. (2009). Gender, Islam and Democracy in Indonesia. London: Routledge
  26. Rohmah, A. (2018, Desember 15). More Persecution Against LGBTI in Indonesia as Election Nears. Retrieved from Globepost.com: theglobepost.com/2018/12/15/indonesia-lgbti-persecution/
  27. Said, E. W. (1979). Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books
  28. Sanders, D. (2011). The Rainbow Lobby: The Sexual Diversity Network and Military-Installed Government in Thailand. In P. A. Jackson, Queer Bangkok: Twenty First Century Markets, Media, and Rights (pp. 229-250). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press
  29. Saputra, T. A., & Suponyono, E. (2018). Criminology Study on Pedophilia Prevention in Indonesia. Jurnal Hukum Novelty 9 (2): 117-127
  30. Sinnott, M. J. (2004). Toms and Dees: Transgender Identity and Female Same-Sex Relationships in Thailand. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press
  31. Talty, A. (2018, September 25). Bangkok is The Most Visited City in The World. Retrieved from forbes.com: forbes.com/sites/alexandratalty/2019/02/25/bangkok-is-named-most-visited-city-in-the-world-again/#277f5da74071
  32. Urry, J. (2002). The Tourist Gaze. London: SAGE Publications
  33. Udasmoro, W. (2013). Symbolic Violence in Everyday Narrations: Gender Construction in Indonesian Television. Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities Vol 2 (3): 155-165
  34. Yerke, A. F., & Mitchell, V. (2013). Transgender People in The Military: Don't Ask? Don't Tell? Don't Enlist! Journal of Homosexuality 60 (2-3): 436-4

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update: 2025-07-31 00:11:36

No citation recorded.