This book uses visual psychological anthropology to explore trauma, gendered violence, and stigma through a discussion of three ethnographic films set in Indonesia: 40 Years of Silence (Lemelson 2009), Bitter Honey (Lemelson 2015), and Standing on the Edge of a Thorn (Lemelson 2012). This exploration “widens the frame” in two senses. First, it offers an integrative analysis that connects the discrete topics and theoretical concerns of each film to crosscutting themes in Indonesian history, society, and culture. Additionally, it sheds light on all that falls outside the literal frame of the screen, including the films’ origins; psychocultural and interpersonal dynamics and constraints of deep, ongoing collaborations in the field; narrative and emotional orientations toward editing; participants’ relationship to their screened image; the life of the films after release; and the ethics of each stage of filmmaking. In doing so, the authors widen the frame for psychological anthropology as well, advocating for film as a crucial point of engagement for academic audiences and for translational purposes.
Rich with critical insights and reflections on ethnographic filmmaking, this book will appeal to both scholars and students of visual anthropology, psychological anthropology, and ethnographic methods. It also serves as an engrossing companion to three contemporary ethnographic films.
Author(s): Robert Lemelson, Annie Tucker
Series: Culture, Mind, and Society
Edition: 1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 473
Series Editor’s Preface
Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
Part I Introduction
1 Filming Trauma, Gendered Violence, and Stigmatization
The Films Not Made
The Origins of a Visual Psychological Anthropology
Trauma, Gendered Violence, and Stigma Onscreen
Trauma
Gendered Violence
Stigma
Filming Human Suffering: Questions Raised
What Visual Psychological Anthropology Can Contribute
Sensory, Aesthetic, Emotional Representation/Experience
Longitudinal, Inductive, Person-Centered, Reflexive
Collaborative
Multimodal
Book Outline and Summary
References
Part II The Films
2 40 Years of Silence: Generational Effects of Political Violence and Childhood Trauma in Indonesia
Theorizing Trauma and PTSD
The Historical Context
G30S, the Mass Killings and Suharto’s New Order
The Era of Reform
The Film
Participants’ Histories
Budi and His Family
Lanny
Degung
Kereta
Participants’ Experiences and Responses
Budi: Internalized Victimization, Eroded Trust, and Desire for Revenge
Mini, Mudakir, Kris: Endurance Through Ongoing Suffering
Lanny: Moving Past Anger Through Buddhist Detachment and Pragmatic Action
Degung: Advocating for Critical Dialogue
Kereta: Withdrawal from Society
Conclusion: Diversity of Responses to Fear-Based Experiences
References
3 Bitter Honey: Culture, Polygamy, and Gendered Violence in Bali
An Ecological Perspective on Gendered Domestic Violence in Bali
Context: Polygamy and Marriage in Bali
Courtship, Marriage, and Patrilineal Descent
Economics, Marriage, and Polygamy
Marriage Law and Polygamy
The Film
Participant Histories
Tuaji’s Family
Sadra’s Family
Sadra
Purniasih, Sadra’s First Wife
Murni, Sadra’s Second Wife
Darma’s Family
Darma
Kiawati, Darma’s First Wife
Sulasih, Darma’s Second Wife
Rasti, Darma’s Third Wife
Suciati, Darma’s Fourth Wife
Purnawati, Darma’s Fifth Wife
Participant Experiences and Responses
The Emotional Economies of Balinese Polygamy
Domestic Violence, Male Power, Harmony, Female Isolation, and Shame
Marital Satisfaction in a Time of Change
Conclusion: Social Change, Ambivalence, and Stigma
References
4 Standing on the Edge of a Thorn: Stigmatization, Social Violence, and Sex Work in Central Java
Stigmatization
Local Ecological, Cultural, and Family Contexts
Regional Poverty and Limited Work Opportunities
Gendered Norms for Sexual Behavior, Courtship, and Marriage
Mental Illness
Vigilante Community Violence
The Film
Participant Histories
Imam Rohani
Tri
Lisa
Participant Experiences and Responses
Mental Illness as Family Stressor
Gendered Sexuality, Marriage, Legitimacy, and Precarity
Lisa’s Perspective
Conclusion: The “Violences of Everyday Life”
References
Part III Integrative Discussion
5 Trauma, Gendered Violence, and Stigmatization: Tracing Themes Throughout the Three Films
Trauma and Fear-Based Experience in Ethnographic Context and Individual Subjectivity
Trauma in Indonesia
Trauma in the Films
Connecting Trauma and Gendered Violence
Gendered Violence in the Films
Stigmatization
Structural Violence
Family Loss, Separation, and Abandonment
Reactions to Loss
Widening the Frame: Cultural Schemas and Psychocultural Themes
References
6 Additional Psychocultural Themes
Shame (Malu)
Gendered Malu; A Feminist Reading of Shame in Indonesia
Malu in Participant Experience
Marriage and Marital Status
Sexual Transgressions
Violence and Victimization
Situating malu: Tri and Imam’s Shame
Anger (Marah)
Anger in Participant Experience
Anger Directed at Family Members
Gendered Anger
Effects of Trauma Compound Gendered Anger and Child Maltreatment
Downregulating Anger, Enforcing Silence
“Disappointment” (Kecewa)
The Desire for Revenge and Its Modulation
Moving Past Revenge
Resilience
Resilience in Participant Experience
Religious Practice and Spirituality
Karmic Justice
Bearing Burdens and Being Strong for Others
Activism
Conclusion: Film Participation and Participant Experience
References
Part IV A VPA Approach to Film as Process
7 Visual Psychological Anthropology in the Field
Adapted PCE Interviews as Primary Field Method
The Nature of “Truth” in VPA Interview Material
Indonesian Psychocultural Factors in PCE: Minimizing Conflict and Maintaining Harmony
Example: Moving Past Templates of Harmony to Lived Experience of Marriage in Bitter Honey
Example: Obscuring Real Reason for Budi’s Placement in Orphanage
Example: Indirect Reveal in Thorn
Psychological Truth: Memory, Self-Protection, and Paradox
Example: Lisa’s Memories of Childhood
Defense Mechanisms
Example: Imam’s Rationalizations
Psychological Truth
Leaving, Returning, and the Benefits of Longitudinality
Example: Sadra’s Remorse
Emphasizing Shared Human Experience
Performative Disclosures
Considering the Interviewer
Narrative Templates
Curhat
Example: Suciati’s Lingering Grief
Reflexive Considerations
Anthropologist Subjectivity and Response
Example: Imam’s Justification for Tri’s Sex Work
Relationship to the Camera and Staging the Interview
Example: Sadra’s Extramarital Affair
Example: Use of Local Language
Depicting the Ethnographic Encounter
References
8 Crafting Stories Using a VPA Approach
Crafting Narratives
VPA Narratives: Theorized but Inductive, Responsive, and Emergent
Narrative Style and Structure
Years
Bitter Honey
Standing on the Edge of a Thorn
Discussion: Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Stylistic Choices
Editing for Emotion
Arguing for Emotion
Techniques for Emotion
Juxtaposition and Montage
Music and Sound Design
Emotional Displays
The Artifice of Endings
References
9 Ethical Issues in Visual Psychological Anthropology
Consent
Danger to Safety and Well-Being
Triggering Surveillance Fears
Impact on Participant in Family and Community
Representation
Compromising Material
Ethnographic Representation on Film Versus in Writing
In-Progress Screenings for Participant Consent and Feedback
Screenings, Distribution, and Digital Media
Social and Psychocultural Dynamics of Consent
Amelioration of Harm
Psychological Protection and Amelioration of Harm for Participants During Sensitive Interviews
Interventions
Financial Support and Mentorship
Confronting Perpetrators
Formal Mediation
Screenings and Malu
Films as Advocacy, Participants as Advocates
References
10 Epilogue
References
Glossary
Index
