Introduction: Gender Relations, Equality, and Inclusion in Indonesia: Contradictions, Complexity, and Diversity

The articles for this special issue were selected from the papers presented at the International Conference on Contemporary Social and Political Affairs held in 2019 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Although the themes of the conference were more general, most of the papers presented focused on gender relations and women’s positions in Indonesia and in the global context. Therefore, we entitled this special issue “Gender Equality, and Social Inclusion in Local and Global Societies.” Numerous existing articles and past studies on Indonesian gender relations in international journals were written by authors or scholars from outside Indonesia, providing some foundations and insights on the topic. However, more research and articles written and conducted by Indonesians using their insiders’ perspectives are important for enriching the field and providing different perspectives. The voice, experience, and positionality of the authors serve as important factors affecting how they approach certain topics. This special edition offers various voices and positionalities of Indonesian researchers and authors from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities that will enhance our understanding of gender relations in Indonesian societies