ENG
INA
A Lecturer in the Japanese Literature Study Program at Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University, Earned a Doctorate Degree through a Study of the Migration Practices of Balinese Female Workers in Japan
On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, the Dissertation Defense for the Doctoral Program in Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University, took place. The defense took place in the Ir. Soekarno Meeting Room, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University. The candidate, Ni Luh Putu Ayu Sulatri, S.S., M.Si., successfully defended her dissertation and graduated with a GPA of 3.91, with the distinction of "Very Satisfactory." She is the 270th doctorate in the Faculty of Humanities and the 299th doctorate in the Doctoral Program in Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University.
Promovenda is a lecturer in the Japanese Literature Study Program at the Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University. Her dissertation is entitled "Ideological Struggles in the Practice of Balinese Female Worker Migration in Japan." The Defense was chaired by Dr. Ida Bagus Gde Pujaastawa, M.A., and Prof. Dr. Anak Agung Ngurah Anom Kumbara, M.A as promoter, Prof. Dr. I Nyoman Darma Putra, M.Litt. as Co-Promoter I and Dr. Ida Ayu Laksmita Sari, S.Hum., M.Hum as Co-Promoter II. Also, Prof. Dr. I Nyoman Suarka, M.Hum., Dr. Ni Ketut Puji Astiti Laksmi, S.S., M.Si., Dr. I Wayan Suardiana, M.Hum., and Dr. Kadek Eva Krishna Adnyani, S.S., M.Si., as the examining team.
Through observation, interviews, and document study, this research uncovers various forms of ideological struggles experienced by Balinese female workers in Japan. These struggles include the struggle for capital, the negotiation of domestic and public roles, structural oppression, the dominance of Japanese culture over their culture of origin, and the tension between women's agency and family expectations. This dissertation also highlights important implications such as the reproduction of migrant capital, the negotiation of gender roles, adaptation to the dominant culture, and the romanticization of filial piety, expanding the study of feminism and culture in the context of transnational migration.
Promovenda asserts that the migration of Balinese female workers in Japan is influenced not only by economic factors but also by patriarchal power relations within the household. The struggles that emerge are multidimensional. These multidimensionalities include women's limitations in meeting family demands, adaptation to the dominant Japanese culture, and coping strategies in the face of discrimination, racism, and sexual harassment. These findings emphasize that Balinese female migration is a complex arena, with each individual confronting transnational social, cultural, and ideological structures.
At the end of the session, Prof. Dr. Anak Agung Ngurah Anom Kumbara, M.A, as the promoter, expressed his gratitude to the entire examining team and congratulated the promovenda family on the new title they had achieved. He also said that the promovenda as a Balinese woman is a tough and intelligent woman who is required to play a dual role and has proven to be successful in carrying out this dual role well up to this point. He also hopes that this study can provide a useful overview of information for the wider community, especially for those interested in working abroad, so that they are aware of the challenges and stereotypes of foreign countries regarding Indonesian workers who are often considered inferior. At the end of his speech, he also congratulated the Japanese Literature Study Program for producing a new doctorate in the Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University.
UDAYANA UNIVERSITY