Doctoral Dissertation Research: Self and the Moral Obligations of Husbands and Fathers in a West Sumatran City

印度尼西亚目前面临着一个社会不稳定的时期，其特点是经济陷入困境，政治不确定性普遍存在。 本论文的研究项目将询问如何道德，男子气概和自我的概念形状的方式米南卡堡男子在西苏门答腊城市武吉丁宜适应这些条件。 西苏门答腊是一个特别引人注目的地区，在其中审查现代印度尼西亚的性别和道德问题，由于其不寻常的混合母系社会结构与伊斯兰教的广泛承诺。 研究计划主要包括参与者对武吉丁宜男子生活的观察，关于男子角色的文化意义及其道德意义的访谈，以及与少数受访者进行的以人为本的广泛访谈。 这些方法的目的是引出有关道德和男性气质的文化概念之间的关系，在武吉丁吉-和在印度尼西亚更普遍的社会和经济生活的形状和米南卡堡男子的经验，自己作为男性，道德演员的信息。 除了有助于培养一个年轻的人类学家，这项研究将进一步发展自我和主体性的人类学理论，并阐明个人和文化世界经历不确定性和转型之间的动态参与。

Indonesia currently faces a period of social instability marked by a struggling economy and widespread political uncertainty. This dissertation research project will ask how concepts of morality, masculinity, and selfhood shape the way Minangkabau men in the West Sumatran city of Bukittinggi adapt to these conditions. West Sumatra is a particularly compelling area in which to examine issues of gender and morality in modern Indonesia due to its unusual mix of a matrilineal social structure with a widespread commitment to Islam. The research plan consists primarily of participant-observation of men's lives in Bukittinggi, interviews concerning the cultural meanings of men's roles and their moral significance, and extended, person-centered interviews conducted with a small number of respondents. These methods are designed to elicit information on the relationship between cultural conceptions of morality and masculinity, the shape of social and economic life in Bukittinggi-and in Indonesia more generally-and Minangkabau men's experiences of themselves as masculine, moral actors. In addition to contributing to the training of a young anthropologist, this study will further the development of anthropological theories of self and subjectivity, and illuminate the dynamic engagement between individuals and cultural worlds experiencing uncertainty and transformation.