ABSTRACT
This chapter situates the practices of pacaran lagi and polygamy as stages on the marital continuum that frequently disrupt monogamous marriage, albeit in different ways. It establishes the lack of state regulation of polygamy and shows that even when permission is sought from the religious courts, judges often apply their own localised reasoning when considering these applications. In discussing these practices in the context of rural Sasak society, the chapter draws attention to the multiple forms of masculinity and femininity that are deployed by the various actors involved. It uncovers how women navigate their agency through the strategic deployment of space, femininity and the management of marital relations. In some cases, women's involvement in pacaran lagi may also constitute a means by which to retaliate against their own husband's extramarital relationships. The chapter also demonstrates how women can simultaneously subvert and strengthen the practices of pacaran lagi and polygamy, just as men's own actions contribute to these practices.
