<![CDATA[In the early 1980s, the Indonesian military—and subsequently, the wider public— perceived tattoos as markers of low morality. This perception was legitimized by the reckless association of tattooed individuals with criminal actions or unlawful activities (Barker, 1998). Such narratives underpinned state-sanctioned violence, most notably through the Petrus ("penembak misterius" or "mysterious shooters") military operation, which targeted individuals with tattoos (Barker, 1998). Today, public and state attitudes toward tattoos have shifted considerably: tattooing is now practised across generations, religious affiliations, and ethnic groups, often without provoking moral panic. Drawing on Foucault’s ideas of problematization (see Mattingly 2018), this shift can be seen as the outcome of ongoing redefinitions and contestations of the moral meanings once inscribed on the tattooed body.Tattoos are just one example of how ideas of the moral and ethical self are continually reshaped. This Thematic Edition consists of 5 original research articles, 1 empirical report, and 2 book reviews that explore how ethics and morality are practised, contested, and theorised across diverse Indonesian settings and history. Papers interrogates dominant moral frameworks - whether legal, state-driven, religious, or customary (adat), and simultanously highlighte alternative ethical imaginaries that emerge in response to social change and moral uncertainty at the current moment of post-authoritarian Indonesia.]]>
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