Veiling as Cultural Sovereignty: A Performative and Mediated Study of Rimpu in Eastern Indonesia

This study investigates Rimpu, the traditional veiled dress of Bimanese Muslim women in Eastern Indonesia, as a performative expression of piety, identity, and resistance within the interplay of Islamic values, local customs, and contemporary socio-cultural transformations. Employing a qualitative ethnographic design, the research was conducted in Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and visual documentation. The study finds that Rimpu functions not only as a cultural-religious identity marker but also as a contested symbol shaped by generational reinterpretation, commodification in tourism and media, and diminishing everyday use among youth. While older women perceive Rimpu as a spiritual embodiment of nuru (modesty) and maja (shame), younger women increasingly view it as ceremonial, aesthetic, or impractical for modern life. Theoretically, this research contributes to Islamic gender studies and symbolic anthropology by extending Judith Butler’s performativity and Talal Asad’s embodied piety into a localized Muslim context, offering a non-Arab, peripheral case that challenges dominant narratives in Muslim fashion discourse. Practically, the findings call for policy interventions and educational models that move beyond folklorization and instead support intergenerational cultural transmission rooted in lived experience. The study’s limitations include its regional scope, with a focus on female voices in coastal and semi-urban areas, and limited analysis of Rimpu’s digital representation. Future research should explore visual ethnography, class-based variations, and comparative dress practices across Eastern Indonesia to deepen understanding of local Islamic expressions under global cultural pressure.