DISRUPTING THE UNIVERSAL: KADAZANDUSUN WOMEN’S SACRED LEADERSHIP AND THE DECOLONIZATION OF FEMINIST THOUGHT

ASILATUL HANAA  ABDULLAH

doi:10.51200/jurnalkinabalu.v31i1.7037

Authors

ASILATUL HANAA ABDULLAH College of Creative Arts, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51200/jurnalkinabalu.v31i1.7037

Keywords:

Human Rights, Oppressed women, Eurocentrism, High Priestess, Women leadership

Abstract

This work critiques the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from a Subaltern theoretical perspective, arguing that its application to women has been predominantly Eurocentric. The paper examines how Orientalism and Eurocentrism have shaped Western perceptions of human rights, historically positioning non-Western societies as backward or deficient. Within this framework, Southeast Asian women were doubly marginalized both by colonial patriarchy and by hierarchical structures within their own communities. The study challenges the hierarchical and binary worldview embedded in Western human rights discourse and mainstream feminism, in which the European West is privileged as the universal reference point while the rest of the world is relegated to a secondary status. To illustrate this critique, the paper turns to the egalitarian and bilateral social structure of the Kadazandusun community of Sabah, Malaysia, where women traditionally hold significant authority. The religious leadership of the Bobohizan, female ritual specialists, demonstrates the community’s recognition of female power and social centrality. Methodologically, this research employs a qualitative approach, drawing on previous scholarly work in anthropology, gender studies, and indigenous epistemologies related to the Kadazandusun. By synthesizing existing ethnographic studies, historical analyses, and feminist critiques, the paper situates indigenous Sabah women within broader debates on rights and representation. By examining the role of women within this indigenous society, the paper calls for a re-examination of feminist and human rights frameworks to incorporate more diverse, contextual, and culturally grounded understandings of women’s agency across societies.

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