Introduction

Women organize into women’s movements on the basis of their gender identity and gender interests (Beckwith 2007, 313). Identity signifies the notion of otherness while it creates shared norms, values and ways of thinking within particular individuals and communities (Cooke 2007, 140).

The identity of Acehnese women and gender relations in Acehnese society are important aspects to understand women’s movements in Aceh. The identity of Acehnese women is shaped by Aceh’s history, the three decades of conflict with the Indonesian military, the recent application of Islamic law, and the devastation caused by the tsunami, which all contribute to the emergence and development of women’s NGOs, women’s organizations and women’s movements. Women’s movements in Aceh have tried to advance women’s status and women’s gender interests by referring, in many cases, to Aceh’s ‘glorious past’, in which Islam played an important role in the lives of the Acehnese. The social and political developments in Aceh have shifted the focus of women’s movements from the struggles on economic, social and cultural rights to those that touch issues on equality, non-discrimination, civil and political rights. The discourse on equality, non-discrimination and rights has risen as local women’s activists engage with the broader women’s movements at the national level.

The signing of the Helsinki peace agreement in 2005 paved the way for a freer political environment, providing Acehnese women more opportunity to engage in wider civil society movements. Women are increasingly organized themselves into women’s organizations, developing women’s movements and participating in democratic reform. The development of women’s movements in Aceh has progressed in part because of the availability of the support from, and access to the networks of, both national and international women’s movements.