Doing ‘chemical sexualities’, becoming a Jago: Performing masculinities in a precarious life of young men in Papua Diana Pakasi (University of Amsterdam)

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1 Doing ‘chemical sexualities’, becoming a Jago: Performing masculinities in a precarious life of young men in Papua Diana Pakasi (University of Amsterdam) Apner Krei Koibur (Cendrawasih University)

2 Background & research question The ways masculinities are enacted by young men through the practices of enhancing sex and the penis. How do the practices of enhancing sex and the penis shape performativities of masculinity? How are they entangled in the social, political, and economic context of West Papua? 2

3 Setting West Papua as an unstable place: history of military oppression, ethnic conflicts, and independence struggles Jayapura as an urban and multi ethics space Population of non-Papuans 65% and Papuans 35% Granted the Special Autonomy status under decentralization policy in 2001. The poorest province, where 30% of the population is below the poverty line (BPS, 2015) The highest HIV prevalence (2.3%) (IBBS, 2013)

4 Methodology Ethnography: 12-month in Jayapura and Sentani Young men aged 18-30 various backgrounds Young women, older men and women, customary chiefs, religious leaders, government officials, health providers, NGOs Participant observations, in- depth interviews, FGDs

5 ‘Chemical Sexualities’ Traditional Modern Created through experimentations Provided by ‘spiritual’ healers

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9 Narratives of chemically enhanced sex Self-confidence and sexual confidence Men’s sexual pleasure Women’s pleasure: ‘kasih rasa’ (to make women feel, enjoy) Men’s sexual potency: ‘jago’ or ‘hebat’ (prowess, manly) Punitive sex: ‘kasih tobat’ (to make women remorse), ‘kasih pelajaran’ (to give women a lesson)

10 Sexual practices and violence Various forms and terms for heterosexual relations or sex practices: – Maitua-paitua (husband-wife or a steady relationship) – Pacaran (dating) – PTT-pakai tahan-tahan (‘use and keep’: affair) – Kelapa-kenal langsung pakai (sex with someone who you just met) – Kurung (locked in) – Satu lawan tiga (threesome) – Seks antri (sequential sex) – ‘Gang bang’ (group sex) Sexual violence – Rape – Inserting a material into women’s vagina after sex: grass, twig, etc. Violent words for sex: – Hantam (punch), injak (trample), paku (nail)

11 Precarious lives of young men – Unemployed – Family and clans are no longer sufficient to provide support and securities – Discrimination – Low trust and high prejudice society – High risk of HIV – Domestic & sexual violence – Interpersonal violence, clan/ethnic violence – Military oppression

12 Precarity of masculinities? Fail to fulfill society’s expectations of the ideal manhood: the backbone of the family Jago masculinities as the accessible masculinities characterized by physical strength, bravado, sexual prowess, and sexual conquests The most available domain is heterosexual relations by subjugating women’s sexuality. The practices of enhancing sex and the penis done to reaffirm masculinity in the midst of precarious lives The practices reflect the precarity of young men and their struggle to navigate their lives in the context of ongoing multiplicity of violence in contemporary Papua

13 Acknowledgement This research supported by DGHE (DIKTI) and the ChemicalYouth project at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). More information about the project: www.chemicalyouth.org www.chemicalyouth.org Our gratitude to Pak Jack Morin for his support throughout the data collection of this research