Maria Walanda Maramis And The Production Of Social Ideas In Minahasa In The Early 20th Century

Maria Walanda Maramis dan Produksi Gagasan Sosial di Minahasa Awal Abad Ke-20

Abstrak

This article responds to the tendency of Indonesian intellectual historiography to remain textual, masculine, and Javanese-centric by highlighting Maria Walanda Maramis as a non-elitist female intellectual in early 20th-century Minahasa. Departing from a critique of the definition of intellectualism that limits the production of ideas to written texts and formal political arenas, this article offers an alternative reading of intellectualism that operates through social practices, community organizations, and the articulation of moral values. Using an expanded approach to intellectual history and a gender perspective, this article shows that Maria Walanda Maramis produced social ideas through organizational activities, women's education, and the formation of discourses on motherhood and social morality. Maria's intellectuality was not manifested in theoretical texts, but rather in continuous social practices that had a broad impact at the community level. This article argues that recognition of non-elitist forms of intellectuality not only enriches our understanding of the intellectual history of colonial Indonesia, but also challenges conceptual boundaries regarding who can be called an intellectual.