Judith Schlehe

Anthropology of religion: Disasters and the representations of tradition and modernity

Abstract Based on ethnographic research, this article explores local explanations for and interpretations of the earthquake which occurred on the island of Java, Indonesia in May 2006, costing 6000 lives and leaving about 1 million people homeless. Although everybody knows that the disaster was the result of tectonic activity, this knowledge co‐exists with religious beliefs in manifold ways. The most widespread accounts of the earthquake referred to local myths connected to the landscape. The spirits are said to have sent the disaster in order to remind the Javanese ‐ and most importantly the Sultan and other people in power ‐ of their traditions. Several rituals were invented to prevent more misery, and certain experts thereby gained considerable importance. The various ways in which people shaped, interpreted and negotiated the meaning of the disaster are interconnected with their understanding of tradition and modernity. This article argues that ‐ whereas Javanese culturewas based on an image of the reconciliation of these spheres before ‐ the discourse on the earthquake reveals a newtendency to polarise: on the one handmodernity is associated with secularisation, materialism, moral decay and ecological exploitation, while on the other hand tradition is idealised according to a global model of spirituality and harmony. Thus, the main argument of this paper is that the culturalisation of a natural event brings both cultural and transcultural dynamics to light

Cultural Politics of Representation in Contemporary Indonesia

The organisation and representation of diversity is a crucial challenge for all countries and especially for post-colonial nations. Accordingly, the politics of multiethnic representation as well as multicultural rhetoric is constantly reformulated and adapted to new conditions, both locally and globally.Cultural theme parks are a typical arena for the display of multiculturality. In the case of Indonesia it is of special interest to investigate whether and in what ways the public staging of ethnic cultures has changed in the reform era (since 1998). This includes aspects of inclusion and exclusion. Which ethnic groups are defined as being constitutive for the Indonesian nation and how are they represented in the central theme park, Taman Mini, in Jakarta? In which ways are the political processes of democratisation and decentralisation reflected in the organisation of Taman Mini, which used to be a main icon of Suhartos New Order regime?This paper suggests that there is a need for Indonesia to re-imagine itself and to refashion a globally oriented multicultural—or, even better, transcultural—identity for the future. Popular public spaces like cultural theme parks have the potential to be appropriate places for such innovative visions.

Methodology and research practice in Southeast Asian Studies

1. Introduction: Fostering Methodological Dialogue in Southeast Asian Studies Mikko Huotari PART I 2. Moving Theory and Methods in Southeast Asian Studies Goh Beng-Lan 3. Southeast Asian Studies: the Conundrum of Area and Method Victor T. King PART II 4. Doing Anthropological Fieldwork with Southeast Asian Characteristics? Identity and Adaptation in the Field Deasy Simandjuntak and Michaela Haug 5. Performative Ethnography: Observant Participation in Southeast Asia Eric Haanstad 6. What Does a Gender Relations Approach Bring to Southeast Asian Studies? Kathryn Robinson 7. Learning from Locals: Doing Interviews in Southeast Asia Paruedee Nguitragool 8. Political Analysis and the Southeast Asian Press: Decoding Meaning and Tracing Events Jurgen Ruland, Jarno S. Jian Hui Lang, and York A. Wiese 9. Bridging Historical Analysis and Strategic Choice in Area Studies: An Analytic Narrative of Volatile Politics in Thailand, 1938-1963 Emma Masterson 10. Context Specificity of Economic Research: The Example of Corruption Research in Southeast Asia Krisztina Kis-Katos and Gunther G. Schulze PART III 11. Grounding Governance Research in Southeast Asia: A Framework for Controlled Multi-Method Policy Analysis Christian von Lubke 12. Qualitative Comparative Analysis for Southeast Asian Studies: Prospects for Policy Analysis of Southeast Asian Regionalism Raul L. Cordenillo 13. Transcultural Ethnography: Reciprocity in Indonesian-German Tandem Research Judith Schlehe and Sita Hidayah 14. Inter-Referencing Southeast Asia: Absence, Resonance and Provocation Chua Beng Huat

CONTESTING JAVANESE TRADITIONS

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the cultural politics of the invention and revival of public traditions. By drawing on the ethnographic example of a kirab budaya (cultural parade) in Kota Gede, a historic area of Yogyakarta, it shows the complex renegotiations and discursive tension connected to religious spectacles in contemporary Java. This article understands popularised traditions as reflections of the current dynamics between Islamisation, policymaking, and a culture open to diverse negotiations and individual interpretation. The conclusion of this study is that commodifying local religious rituals as tourist events for economic reasons make them acceptable in an increasingly Islamised environment.

Transcultural Ethnography: Reciprocity in Indonesian-German Tandem Research

Following at least four decades of critical reflection on the issues of power and the politics of representation in the social sciences, a renewed interest in knowledge divides has recently emerged. The World Social Science Report (International Social Science Council 2010) revealed many of the inequalities and asymmetries that have shaped the production of scientific knowledge and the reproduction of disciplines. Accused of academic and methodological imperialism, due to the fact that most methodological knowledge has been developed in the context of Western universities and has often been used for Western research in non-Western contexts, the North has become the subject of much criticism (Ryen 2011, 439). Indeed, it must be conceded that although contemporary postcolonial approaches have considerable impact on important theoretical debates, relatively few efforts have been undertaken to decolonize social science methodologies in order to work out practical research approaches based on equality and exchange (see Kaltmeier 2012, 20). In this chapter we want to present and discuss our experiences in developing such an approach.1