Letters: Clothes and politics

Thu, 06/04/2009 12:52 PM  |  Reader's Forum

Early Indonesians lived in tropical rainforests. In this environment, the temperature is below 37C, humidity is high and there is little direct sunlight. The most appropriate state of dress is nudity, as seen traditionally in jungles from Amazonia to Papua.

Any kind of body covering creates a layer of extra-warm, extra-humid air next to the skin. This hinders heat loss from conduction and sweating, causing overheating or even heat exhaustion.

In contrast, Arabians traditionally lived in a hot desert. Here, the temperature is often above 37C, the air is dry and there is intense sunshine. In this environment, it is sensible to wear a white, loose-fitting cotton robe. This protects the skin from solar radiation and may slow down sweat evaporation, reducing the risk of dehydration. It also keeps the heat in through the cold nights.

Meanwhile, the decorative function of clothes is to stimulate the senses with shiny or brightly-colored beads, jewelry and clothing. Cleverly-designed clothes can also emphasize sexually interesting features, the Papuan penis gourd being an obvious example. The emblematic function of clothes is to denote membership of a tribe or social organization. Nowadays, ethnic hairstyles, makeup and costumes are generally confined to weddings, while professional uniforms showing affiliation to a company or a state institution are everyday wear.

For a modern Indonesian woman, wearing a headscarf thus becomes symbolic of the importance she attaches to her membership of the Muslim community. In Indonesia's hierarchical society, where Muslims often expect to be privileged over members of minority religions or "heretics", wearing a headscarf can also indicate a desire for preferential treatment, as seen in the popularity of headscarves among women appearing in court.

The current fascination among politicians of Islamic parties with the wearing of headscarves thus relates to a number of underlying ideas.

Wearing headscarves will make religion more central to Indonesian people's sense of identity, thus giving Islamic parties more leverage to gain support and wield influence. While secular-oriented politicians might feel disadvantaged by this idea, it is hard for them to oppose it because of the general consensus that "the more religion you have the better you are."

In view of such complex ramifications, it is likely that the wearing of headscarves will remain a bone of political contention for some time to come.

John Hargreaves

Jakarta

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