Redefiniendo las identidades waria en la Indonesia contemporánea

Abstract

The analysis of non-hegemonic gender expressions in the Global South have trespassed classical gender approaches limitations. The continuous flow of Western images and notions concerning beauty and sex hybridize and interact with the dissemination of individualistic ideologies, generating a gender milieu characterized by high variability, permeability and porosity. This paper aims to discuss the classical paradigms used to describe waria (male-to-female transvestites) in Indonesia and re-think the construction of the term using the recent changes in the country as a reference point. This active reflection leads to the necessity of employing alternative approaches to describe hybrid gender realities in a globalized world.