Shifting the Paradigm

In this article we examine the discourse surrounding girlhood in Indonesia through a scoping review of research and gray literature from 2013 to 2022, alongside reference to a workshop with researchers and advocates. Themes related to sexuality and reproduction are dominant in our findings. We argue that the scholarly and civic engagements with knowledge about girls and young women in Indonesia limit the modality of knowledge production and change. We propose a shift towards critical approaches in the investigation of girlhood in Indonesia and the Global South that involves a commitment to epistemic gathering to develop methodologies that include interrogating our assumptions, contextualizing girlhood, and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to better understand the diverse realities of girls and young women in Indonesia and beyond.