Negotiating Masculinity in Yogyakarta's Pool Centers
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Negotiating masculinity in Yogyakarta’s pool centers A game of skill, contesting and respecting values, and possessions Pepijn de Wit Thesis for Master of Arts degree Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology Leiden University, Faculty of Social Sciences Supervised By Jasmijn Rana, Msc. Second reader Dr. Ratna Saptari OctoBer 2016 The front page photograph was taken by Mas Neyo in Pool World, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The sociologist Ned Polsky argued the American pool room to be “the greatest and most determinedly all-male institution in American social life” (Polsky 1967: 32). “Until very recently, billiards was completely dominated by men. The atmosphere of the poolroom was very forbidding and a woman would have had trouble being accepted there” (Shamos 1995). “It is very difficult for a woman to develop billiard skill because male players, her family, and friends usually do not support her efforts and it is not easy to find experienced women instructors or coaches” (Shamos 1995). Abstract Pool is a well-known sport in Indonesia. The sport is being perceived as masculine and male dominated (Polsky 1967: 32). In this research I explore why that is and what factors play a role in the negotiation of masculinity in pool centers in Yogyakarta. I will argue that the negotiation of masculinity in Yogyakarta’s pool centers is a game of skill, contesting and respecting cultural values, and material possessions that represent social status and wealth. In addition, I will argue that pool in itself in Yogyakarta is a masculine activity because of its historical image. Women still often experience obstacles, coming forth from cultural values, that prevent them from going to pool centers, and from becoming a professional pool player. The sport is historically interwoven with gambling which is forbidden by Indonesian law and within Islam. Despite the illegitimacy of gambling it is still an important part of pool in Indonesia. The fact that more than 90% of the people are Muslim creates an interesting religious dimension in the discussion about what is being perceived as masculinity (Burhanudin & van Dijk 2013: 15). Motivations of people to gamble on pool games vary from training purposes, financial gain, to entertainment. Justifications to gamble or not, are often related to a person declaring oneself as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Muslim. Table of contents Abstract Table of contents Acknowledgements List of figures Chapter 1 - Introduction to the research 10 1.1 Sub-questions 12 1.2 Structure of the thesis 13 1.3 Research area 13 1.3.1 Following the path of pool 13 1.3.2 Description of the main research area 14 1.3.3 Roles in pool centers and the research population 16 1.4 Theoretical framework 18 1.4.1 Masculinity and sports 18 1.4.2 Gambling as anthropological concept 21 1.4.3 Habitus 23 1.5 Academic and societal relevance 25 1.6 Methodology 26 1.6.1 Getting the snowball rolling 26 1.6.2 Participating my way into the gambling scene 26 1.6.3 Fear for formal interviews led to deep hanging out and ngobrol 27 1.6.4 Observing, social mapping of hierarchies, and self-reflection 28 1.6.5 Google translate conversations 30 1.6.6 Literature study 30 1.7 Ethics 30 Chapter 2 – An introduction to pool: histories and context 32 2.1 A brief history about pool 32 2.2 Explaining modern pool games 34 2.3 A version of the history and dark image of pool in Yogyakarta 35 2.4 Handicap system explained 37 2.5 Corruption, honesty, and consequences 38 Chapter 3 – ‘The guys’: masculine skills and social status 40 3.1 Technical skills: smooth and stiff 40 3.1.1 Skill level in relation to social status 42 3.2 Smart play: choice and calculating chance 44 3.3 The mental game: emotion and thoughts 46 3.5 Concluding on skills, social status, and masculinity 49 Chapter 4 – ‘Real men’: possessing and performing masculinity 51 4.1 Respect and social hierarchy in Yogyakarta’s society embedded in language 51 4.2 The cultural values of honesty and respect in pool centers 52 4.3 Non-material characteristics of masculinity 53 4.3.1 Going to the ‘flower market’: speech and subjects of conversation 54 4.3.2 Body language in pool centers 56 4.4 Material representations of masculinity and social class 57 4.4.1 The attractiveness and neatness of Batik 58 4.4.2 ‘Real men’ 59 4.5 Bodily characteristics were not often mentioned 60 4.6 Concluding on material and non-material masculinity 61 Chapter 5 – Gambling: contesting religion and legislation to create pressure, practice skills, and to have fun 62 5.1 Gambling in Indonesia 63 5.2 Secrecy in pool centers 65 5.2.1 Alcohol on the table 65 5.2.2 Gambling under the table 66 5.3 Motivations and justifications to gamble 70 5.3.1 Different approaches of people who do not gamble 73 5.4 ‘Fighting’ creates a stage for conscious and unconscious performances 74 5.5 Concluding on gambling 76 Conclusion 78 Bibliography 81 Appendix 84 Acknowledgements This thesis would not have existed without the help of other people which is why I feel the urge to express my deepest gratitude to them. I want to start with all the participants in this research. Most of them became more like friends to me than research participants. I have spent many hours, days, and weeks with them and I was welcomed with love, humbleness and open arms. Special thanks to my friend Yanto who introduced me to many people in Yogyakarta at the start of my fieldwork. Also a special thanks to Mas Heart, Mas Jonah, Mas Gusta, Mas Neyo, and Mas Mahasiswa who became my key informants and best friends. They showed me the way through Yogyakarta, gave me insight in Yogyakarta’s pool community, and introduced me to many other people who eventually, helped me with the research. I also want to mention Mbak Colette to whom I want to express my gratitude because she was always willing to help wherever she could and voluntarily helped me a lot with translating during interviews and many informal conversations. Of course, I want to thank my supervisor Jasmijn Rana as well, who has been very supportive and provided me with excellent substantive comments throughout the whole process. Furthermore I would also like to thank Nadia Teunissen. Without her the whole idea of doing research about masculinity in pool centers would not have existed. Along the way she gave me tips and information that have helped me with the research. I also want to thank her for the many hours we spent on writing in the library together. A last word of gratitude I want to express to Dr. Ratna Saptari who introduced me to the way of life in Yogyakarta and Dr. Bart Barendrecht for his visit to Yogyakarta, radiating intense positive vibes that kept me going. Thank you, Terima kasih! List of figures Figure 1 Geographical overview of pool centers in Yogyakarta 13 Figure 2 The rear part of Pool Worlds’ ground floor on a rather quiet afternoon 15 Figure 3 Indoor ground billiards table 33 Figure 4 A poolroom with pocket billiard tables 33 Figure 5 Outside on the balcony of the top floor of Pool World the dice game was explained to me 69 Chapter 1 Introduction to the research “To the physiognomist and the silent observer of human nature, there is no game that more thoroughly discloses the various dispositions of men than Billiards. The elated hope, the depressing fear, the sanguine exultation, the mortifying defeat – the philosophical resignation to fate, the indifference of success, and all the multiplied and manifold passions of the human mind, are variously depicted and easily discovered, by an attentive observer, on the countenance of the Billiard player” (Phelan 1850: 8). Imagine yourself standing at a pool table in the middle of an arena surrounded by lots of people who are following every move you make, including your opponent, in complete silence. The only thing you are trying to do is focusing on your routine in order to make the shots you are supposed to make, ignoring all the ‘what if…’ thoughts that are running through your head. Your hart is beating fast because of the pressure and you can feel the tension and adrenaline running through every muscle in your body. It makes you grab the cue tighter than you would normally do. Your hands start to get clammy which limits your ability to stroke and makes you feel uncomfortable and insecure. It is of great importance not to show this insecurity to your opponent because he or she could get a moral boost and confidence from your insecure performance. Pool is the sport I practice for sixteen years now, of which nine years professionally. During these sixteen years I travelled to different places in the world to play pool. From these experiences I have gotten the impression that pool is considered to be a masculine sport. During the years I got interested in the underlying rationales, social relations, the role of emotions, gambling and other factors that could make this sport a masculine and male dominated sport. Pool is the collective term for many different games, played on the same kind of pool table. These different games come with fundamental different rules and experiences. Pool is not solely about technical skills that could help you to win a match or about perfect control of the path of the balls, which requires excellent hand eye coordination.