Microsoft Word - Putu Sukardja


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ENCULTURATION AND GENDER IN WOVEN FABRICT  INDUSTRY AT 
SUBDISTRICT OF SANGKARAGUNG, 

DISTRICT OF NEGARA, JEMBRANA 
 

Putu Sukardja1 , I Gde Parimartha2  
I Wayan Ardika2, I Made Suastika2  

 

1School for Graduate Study, Udayana University 
2Faculty of Letters, Udayana University 

E-mail:  psukardja@yahoo.com 
 
 

ABSTRACT 
 

This research reveals the process of enculturation and gender in the woven fabric 
industry at  Sangkaragung, district of Negara, Jembrana. The weaving tradition and 
enculturation process give the women at Sangkaragung a hope to change their ideology in 
gender and socio cultural construction. This study aims at discussing the factors making 
the women at  Sangkaragung do weaving activities, the process of weaving enculturation 
and the development of gender taking place there, and the impacts and meaning of the 
weaving enculturation on their socio-cultural life. 

In analyzing the problems above, the  theory of post-structuralism, the theory of 
practice, and the theory of social change were used. To find out the relevant data, a 
qualitative method was applied in which the data were collected by deep interviews, 
observation, and documentation.  

The result shows that the factors making the women do such activities are:  myths 
on women and weaving activities; globalization and socio-cultural changes, and fulfillment 
of daily needs. The process of weaving enculturation done through cultural transmission 
and socialization in weaving results in acculturation and enculturation which then give a 
deeper understanding to the society of the pattern and system related to the weaving 
activities. The weaving enculturation also causes some forms of changes at   Sangkaragung 
such as work  division between men and women. The weaving enculturation and the 
development of gender have affected the ways in which   decisions are made in some 
aspects of life such as in the context of traditional and religious rituals, the expenditures for 
primary family needs, health care, and children’s education. Although the women are 
acknowledged and appreciated that they have economically contributed to their families, 
full emancipation has not been given to them due to patriarchal, social and cultural systems 
which are still attached to the society.   

 
Key word: enculturation, gender, woven cloth industry 
 
 
 

 



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INTRODUCTION 

 

The harmonious relation between 

feminism and cultural studies can be 

made to appear by the awareness of 

mutual interests. Both feminism and 

cultural studies intend to withdraw 

knowledge from the marginal and 

suppressed groups of people. Therefore, 

this research aims at revealing the 

process of enculturation and gender in 

the woven fabric  industry at  

Sangkaragung, District of Negara, 

Jembrana. The problems of women are 
made to appear by the bad quality of 

their human resources.  Such problems 

are not only caused by their weakness but 

also by the ideology of gender and socio 

cultural construction.  

The weaving tradition with the 

process of enculturation gives the women 

at  Sangkaragung a hope to be able to 

change their ideology of gender and 

socio cultural construction. The society 

of  Sangkaragung, District of Negara, 

Jembrana Regency, still maintain and 

preserve their weaving knowledge and 

skill. The process of enculturation related 

to the weaving activities is traditionally 

done, that is, the daughters learn from 

their mothers or other relatives 

possessing the weaving knowledge and 

skill.  

As a research of cultural studies 

with qualitative method, this study 

observes the factors causing the women 

at  Sangkaragung to weave, the process 

of enculturation and the development of 

gender at Sangkaragung, as well as the 

meaning of enculturation to their socio 

cultural life. In analyzing the above 

problems, the theory of post-

structuralism, the theory of practice, and 

the theory of social change were applied. 

To obtain the relevant data, the 

qualitative method by deep interviews, 

observation and documentation was 

applied.  

DISCUSSION 

 

The bad quality of the women’s 

human resources has contr ibuted to the 

inequity of gender at the society (Mosse, 

1996). This is not only caused by   the 

women the mselves but also by the 

ideology of gender, system, and structure 

which is based on the cultural 

construction of the society. Culture is not 

biologically inherited but constitutes a 

pattern of behavior which is learned and 



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transmitted from one generation to 

another generation through the process of 

internaliza tion, socialization, and 

encultura tion.  

Globalization in agricultural 

technology in the irrigated rice fields at 

Sangkaragung has led to the decrease in 

the women’s job opportunities in 

agriculture. This has caused them to 

weave. The enthusiasm of the society in 

wea ving industry is interesting to be 

investigated. This study focuses on the 

weaving enculturation and tries to relate it 

to gender at  Sangkaragung, and was  

conducted using the analysis of the 

perspective of cultural studies.   

The result shows that the factors 

causing the women to weave were myths 

on the women them selves and the 

weaving activity, globalization and 

socio-cultural changes, and weaving in 

order to fulfill their daily needs. The 

process of weaving enculturation done 

through transmission and sociali zation 

of weaving culture has led to 

acculturation and inculturation which 

then give a deeper under standing to the 

society of the pattern and system related 

to the weaving activity. Weaving encul 

turation also results in some forms of 

changes at the society of  Sangkaragung, 

such as work  divi sion between the men 

and the women. The weaving 

enculturation and the development in  

gender  has affected the ways in which 

decisions are made in some aspects of 

life such as in the context of traditional 

and religious rituals, the expenditures for 

primary needs of their families, health 

care and children’s education.  

On the other side, the weaving 

enculturation is mean ingful to the 

society of  Sangka ragung, especially to 

the women. Weaving is strategically 

meaningful to create equality and equity. 

Weaving enculturation is also mea 

ningful to the traditional patri archal 

values. The develop ment of the woven 

fabric industry has contri buted to the 

prosperity of the society at 

Sangkaragung. Having the cultural 

capital and social capital, the women can 

increase their economic capital. The 

women’s success in economically 

contributing to their families has resulted 

in the appearance of the image of 

emancipation and the formation of the 

ideology of gender at the society of 

Sangkaragung. Although it has been 

acknowledged and appreciated that the 



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women have economically contributed to 

their families, such acknowled gement 

and appreciation have not been able to 

give full emancipation to the women due 

to the patriarchal, social and cultural 

systems which are still attached to the 

society of Sang karagung.  

By researching the process of 

enculturation and gender at the woven 

fabric industry at  Sangkaragung, several 

things have been found: Firstly, weaving 

is a habit which is inherited through the 

process of reproduction, sociali zation 

and enculturation which can function as 

the cultural capital which is managed 

within the domain of home industry. This 

gradually changes the women’s behavior 

from being nature to being nurture. The 

women at  Sangkar agung have not only 

been domestic workers but have also 

been the productive ones. With their own 

income, they have been able to change 

their way of thinking from thinking 

traditionally into thinking modernly. 

Secondly, the change in the structure of 

productive employment from agriculture 

into woven fabric industry has led to a 

change in the society life. The women do 

not limit themselves to a small tradition 

but have moved to a bigger tradition and 

even to a modern tradition. In the 

weaving field in particular, the 

introduction of new technology related to 

the ready made material (types, color and 

quality of thread) has changed the pattern 

of production to be more efficient and 

effective. Thirdly, by weaving the 

women at Sangkar agung are able to 

move from the domestic space into the 

public space. What they earn by weaving 

has made the women able to play a role 

in increasing their families’ economy so 

it can be stated that the men at 

Sangkaragung have partners in 

supporting their families. There has been 

a consensus between the men and the 

women in increasing their families’ 

welfare. The work division in their 

families which is based on the 

mechanism of solidarity has been the 

solution to decreasing their work burden.  

Fourthly, their knowledge and skill in 

weaving (cultural capital)  has been the 

strength (power/authority) which can 

change the women’s position in making 

decisions in some aspects of life 

(education, productive employment, 

health, religious rituals). The cultural 

capital they have gives them opportunity 

to be involved in planning, determining 



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and deciding what is chosen for their 

families. Fifthly, although the women 

have entered the public space, the 

patriarchal culture, tradition and religion 

have made them return to the domestic 

space, meaning that their existence in the 

public space is temporary. The 

patriarchal system, tradition and religion 

are still the factors which avoid the 

women at Sangagung from getting 

exposed in the public space.   

 

CONCLUSION 

 

It can be concluded that the 

women at Sangkaragung still undergo a 

cultural obstruction mak ing them not 

able to go out fully from the domestic 

space. The economic contribution to their 

families cannot free them from being 

subordinate considering that the 

patriarchal system still binds them as the 

family members under the men’s 

leadership. The discourse of the women’s 

freedom and emancipation to be 

productively employed makes their 

burden heavier in their families.   

 

 

 

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