REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE DISCOURSE OF TRUCK TAILGATE PAINTINGS IN BALI

Abstract

This study examines the ideological dimensions and power relations underlying truck-bed paintings in Bali, positioning them as mobile discursive spaces that produce and circulate gendered representations of women’s bodies in the public sphere. It aims to identify forms of female representation, examine the sociocultural factors that construct them, and critically interpret their implications for gender discourse. The study integrates Stuart Hall’s theory of representation, Roland Barthes’s semiotics, Julia Kristeva’s feminist theory, Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of social practice. Employing a qualitative approach, data were collected through field observations, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with truck drivers, owners, and artists selected through purposive sampling. The findings reveal that verbal, visual, and narrative representations intersect to reproduce objectification, stereotyping, and patriarchal ideology. Nevertheless, ambivalent representations also position women as emotionally significant figures. The study’s novelty lies in interpreting truck-bed paintings as a contested space where identity, class, morality, and power are negotiated.