Playing back the nation: Waria, Indonesian transvestites

Tom Boellstorff*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

82 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Waria (better known as banci or béncong), who can be provisionally defined as male-to-female transvestites, are well-known members of contemporary Indonesian society. Waria are best understood not as a third gender but a male femininity. By exploring how waria reconfigure concepts of authenticity, I address the relationship between the waria subject position and Indonesian national culture.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)159-195
Number of pages37
JournalCultural Anthropology
Volume19
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2004
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Playing back the nation: Waria, Indonesian transvestites'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this