Reflect upon what you have learned about the culture(s) you have been studying.
I have learned a great deal about Indonesian culture -- and in particular, that of Bali -- this semester. Here is a summary of what I have learned.
Dogs' role in society:
- At the beginning of the semester, I posed these questions: How are dogs viewed and what are their roles in households? Why do Balinese families -- for the most part -- understand dogs as "guard" dogs? And how are these families' mindsets different from the more urban, younger individuals who view dogs as part of their families? I believe I have some answers. Indeed, I have found answers through ostensibly unorthodox mediums (like a children's book) and more traditional means like a literature review on the topic. Through my children's book on animals and the many animal rights associations' websites and articles I have surfed, the conclusions for the questions I presented are straightforward and could be boiled down to: pragmatic calculations in response to the difficult shifts of a developing country. The dog's role in society serves as a constructive microcosm for Indonesia's status as a growing nation. For example, the dog is both food to consume and protection from mischief-makers on the street. Indonesians' homes are not demarcated by a fence or an expanse of land. The homes -- as a general rule -- are close in proximity if not attached to one another. Hence the dogs live on the streets, usually tied to a pole so that the dog has enough latitude to fend of persons close to the perimeters of the home but not too much distance to run amok (an Indonesian word). That's is why we see in the children's book (from a few cultural posts ago) that the dog was considered "bad" or aggressive, and, as a result, he was fettered to an object -- most likely a pole. This story is meant to teach children not to stray onto someone's property, otherwise, the guard dog, if the family has one, may confront them. With regard to the more urban, younger individuals who view dogs as part of their family, in contrast to the more traditional communities, the answer is simple too. These people are tech savvy (Indonesia has the highest rate per capita of social media use), and thus learning-by-osmosis is central to the younger generation's view of animals. This group adopted this practice, along with many more (like writing only in English when posting and Instagram post, for example), of treating animals as family members and the chores that come with it -- like grooming, walking the dogs in the park, and so on. It is considered "trendy," if you will. Lastly, this population interacts with like-minded individuals, much like those of the older generation who are likely to live in villages in the peripheral. I will talk more about this during my cultural presentation.
Pasung:
- My second learning goal for this semester was to research the phenomenon called pasung, or the practice of shackling persons with mental illness. Thalia and I will be conducting research on the perception of mental health and mental health treatment across various populations this summer in Bali, Indonesia. And we may come across pasung during the course of our research. Ultimately, we hope that our research could contribute (however insignificantly) to the eradication of pasung in Bali and throughout Indonesia. This is what I have learned about pasung -- and the state of Indonesian mental health care -- this semester. Fifty-seven thousand people with mental illness have experienced pasung at least once in their lives, and 18,800 people are believed to be shackled in Indonesia today. Approximately 300 people in Bali, Indonesia, are currently suffering from this practice. Because of the scarcity of resources that provide mental health treatment — there are 48 mental health institutions for the country’s 250 million people and only one in Bali, for instance — families with loved ones who have psychological disabilities resort to either social care institutions or their homes. Social care institutions are known for their practices of “arbitrary detention, physical and sexual violence, and involuntary treatment” while administering medication. Despite the government’s long-standing positions and recent initiatives to put an end to pasung, hurdles such as 1) a lack of access to medication, 2) education, and 3) traditional belief systems about mental illness make it difficult to eradicate pasung entirely. Indeed, the government formally banned pasung in 1977 and set into motion a program called “Indonesia Free from Pasung” in 2014. Nevertheless, access to medication remains a large headwind in decreasing pasung. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, 90% of individuals are unable to enjoy mental health services. As it stands, Bali only has 25 psychiatrists for the island’s 4.2 million inhabitants.
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