Matrilineal Marriage Traditions and Hegemonic Masculinity in Marah Rusli’s Sitti Nurbaya

Abstract

This article offers an intensive analysis and discussion regarding the practice of hegemonic masculinity in the matrilineal marriage tradition belonging to the Minangkabau ethnic group in the western part of Indonesia's Sumatera archipelago. The rules of Minangkabau matrilineal customs that still place men as policymakers for women are a contributing factor to the practice of hegemonic masculinity. The data source used to examine the problem is an Indonesian novel set in Minangkabau society and culture entitled Sitti Nurbaya by Marah Rusli. Text data obtained from the novel Sitti Nurbaya were analyzed using content analysis techniques. After analyzing the stages of data reduction, data display, and data verification, it was found that two matrilocal marriage traditions in Minangkabau society show the practice of hegemonic masculinity, namely a) kawin bajapuik tradition; and b) the tradition of polygamy. The hegemonic masculinity in both traditions is characterized by the superiority of male power in regulating the conditions of marriage and the emphasis on female obedience as subordinate objects. This study is considered to have greatly contributed to the initial study of masculine literature in the Minangkabau matrilineal society, the study of the revitalization of its gender mainstreaming, as well as efforts to find out the description of the social reality of Minangkabau society in the early 20th century.