Gendered Indigenous Nonviolent Resistance: The Case of the Batak Toba in North Sumatra, Indonesia

The current presentation is based on my research with the Indigenous Batak Toba communities and my engagement with a community-based organization called KSPPM (Community Initiative Study and Development Group, Kelompok Studi dan Pengembangan Prakarsa Masyarakat). KSPPM has been working with several Batak Toba communities in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. My research explored the gendered dynamics of the Batak Toba peoples’ struggle for land rights. I identify the gendered motivations and methods that the communities used in their struggle for land and forests. The presentation will focus on these findings.

About the presenter:

Masha Kardashevskaya holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Manitoba. Prior to her doctoral work, she worked with community-based organizations in South-East Asia, including Indonesia. Masha is currently a research associate at Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse (RESOLVE), a centre at the University of Manitoba that engages in community-based research to prevent and address gender-based violence.

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