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The Changing World of Bali Religion, Society and Tourism (Modern Anthropology of South-East Asia) PDF

177 Pages·2005·2.45 MB·English
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The Changing World of Bali The glossy guidebook images of Bali as a timeless paradise whose people are devoutly religious and artistically gifted hides a very different reality. The ChangingWorldofBalianalysesthereligiousandsocialchangesinBaliandthe impactoftourisminthecontextofpoliticalandeconomicdevelopmentsinIndo- nesia from the colonial period to the present day. A hundred years of colonialism, war, Indonesian independence and tourism have produced modernising changes, but also generated images of Bali as ‘traditional’. Incorporating up-to-date ethnographic fieldwork, the book investigates the myriad of ways in which the Balinese have responded to the influx of outside influence. The Balinese have seen the emergence of a much more fluid and contested religious scene, generating dynamic connections between religious practice, ethnic identity and artistic activity. However, Howe argues that these developments havebeencomplicatedby aconcern for theintegrityandauthen- ticity of Balinese culture. Exploitation of the island by the tourist industry, especiallyafterthe2002Balibomb,hascreatedasenseamongtheBalinesethat they are being robbed and their culture contaminated. In documenting these diverse changes, Howe critically assesses some of the workofBali’smostfamousethnographer,CliffordGeertz,anddemonstratesthe importanceofahistoricallygroundedandbroadlycontextualisedapproachtothe analysis of a complex society. LeoHoweisSeniorLecturerinsocialanthropologyatCambridgeUniversity.His booksincludeHinduismandHierarchyinBali(JamesCurrey,2001)andBeing Unemployed in Northern Ireland(Cambridge University Press, 1990). The Modern Anthropology of Southeast Asia Editors Victor T. King, University of Hull William D. Wilder, University of Durham Thebooksinthisseriesincorporatebasicethnographicdescriptionintoawider context of responses to development, globalisation and change. Each book embracesbroadlythesameconcerns,buttheemphasisineachdiffersasauthors choosetoconcentrateonspecificdimensionsofchange,orworkoutparticular conceptual approaches to the issues of development. Areas of concern include nation-building,technologicalinnovationsinagriculture,rural–urbanmigration, the expansion of industrial and commercial employment, the rapid increase in culturalandethnictourism,theconsequencesofdeforestationandenvironmental degradation,the‘modernisationoftradition’,ethnicidentityandconflict,andthe religioustransformationofsociety. The Modern Anthropology of Southeast Asia: An Introduction Victor T. King and William D. Wilder The Changing Village Environment in the Southeast Applied anthropology and environment reclamation in the northern Philippines Ben J. Wallace The Changing World of Bali Religion, society and tourism Leo Howe The Changing World of Bali Religion, society and tourism Leo Howe First published 2005 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library,2006. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2005 Leo Howe All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Howe, Leo. The changing world of Bali: religion, society and tourism / Leo Howe. p. cm. – (The modern anthropology of Southeast Asia) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Bali (Indonesia: Province) – Civilization. 2. Bali (Indonesia: Province) – Religion. 3. Tourism – Indonesia – Bali (Province) I. Title. II. Series. DS647.B2H68 2005 959.8'604–dc22 2005002518 ISBN 0-415-36497-3 Contents List of illustrations vii Acknowledgements ix A note on foreign words x 1 Introduction: The Kuta bomb and Balinese culture 1 2 Colonialism, caste and the beginnings of tourism 18 3 Balinese character assassination? 38 4 The efficacy of ritual action and the transformation of religion 56 5 The new religions of Bali: Agama Hindu and Sri Sathya Sai Baba 91 6 Controversies about hierarchy 111 7 Tourism, culture and identity 131 References 147 Index 157 Singaraja BULELENG BANGLI JEMBRANA KARANGASEM TABANAN GIANYAR KLUNGKUNG N BADUNG > 1,000m Denpasar > 500m Nusa Penida 0 10 20km Regional map of Bali Illustrations Figures 1.1 Thenawa sangga 11 1.2 The layout of buildings in a Balinese walled compound 12 1.3 Crossroads and buildings at the centre of a Balinese village 13 Map Regional map of Bali vi Plates 1 Balinese terraced rice fields 75 2 Low-paid female workers sanding and varnishing woodcarvings for the tourist market 75 3 Market day in the village of Pujung, northern Gianyar 76 4 High-caste men in Corong indulging in the typical early evening pastime of discussing the merits of their fighting cocks 77 5 Cockfighting preceding the annual temple ceremony at Samuan Tiga, Gianyar 77 6 Seven-roofed cremation tower (badé), Ubud village 78 7 Last-minute details being added to sarcophagus (patulangan) in which a body is cremated 79 8 Bull sarcophagus for a high-caste Balinese, Ubud village 80 9 Doorway to the palace (puri) of Cokorda Pemayun, Corong village 81 10 Snacking in the late morning at the local coffee shop (warung) in Corong village 82 11 Welcoming Rangda (the fearsome mask) during an annual temple ceremony in Corong 83 12 Stately procession (mapeed) of hamlet women to the temple, Corong 83 13 Preparation of food for guests and offerings on the morning of a tooth-filing, Corong 84 14 Some of the many offerings for the tooth-filing ceremony, Corong 85 15 The eleven young men and women about to undertake the tooth-filing ordeal, Corong 85 16 Low-caste couple getting married in Pujung village 86 17 The proud fathers of the bride and groom 87 18 Two couples receiving admonishing advice about marriage from a priest in the temple, Pujung 87 viii Illustrations 19 The Sai Baba temple in Denpasar 88 20 The Hare Krishna ashram on the outskirts of Denpasar 88 21 A view of some of the shrines at Besakih, Bali’s ‘mother temple’ 89 22 Street scene in Kuta, the tourist mecca on Bali’s south coast 89 23 Garbage disposal scarring Bali’s tropical landscape 90 24 Western tourists waiting for a ritual in a temple ceremony to begin 90 Acknowledgements I have undertaken research in Bali on manyoccasions between 1978 and 2002, fundedvariouslybytheEconomicandSocialResearchCouncil,theEvansFund of theUniversityof CambridgeFacultyof Archaeology and Anthropology, and theUniversityofCambridgeTravelFund.Iamverygratefultoallthesebodiesfor their generous assistance. I wish to acknowledge the kind help of the officers of the Lembaga Ilmu PengetahuanIndonesia(IndonesianInstituteofSciences),underwhoseauspices my research in Bali was conducted. I have been fortunate at different times to enjoythesponsorshipofthreeremarkableindividualsinBali–thelateProfessor GustiNgurahBagus,AnakAgungMadéJelantik,andProfessorGedéPitana.Iam tremendouslygratefultothemallfortheirwarmfriendship, encouragementand wise counsel. Special thanks also go to Professor James J. Fox for help in arranging research visas. Someofthematerialwhichappearsinthisbookhaspreviouslybeenpublished elsewhere. Chapter 5 is a revised version of ‘Sai Baba in Bali: identity, social conflictandthepoliticsofreligioustruth’whichappearedinVol.33oftheReview ofIndonesian andMalaysianStudiesin1999.Ihavealsoadaptedandrewritten somesectionsfromanearlierbook,HinduismandHierarchyinBali,publishedby JamesCurreyin2001. I amgrateful tothepublishers for permissiontouse this material here. Manyfriendsandcolleagueshavegivenoftheirtimeandexpertisetocomment on various chapters of this book. I particularly wish to thank Declan Quigley, David Gellner, Marilyn Strathern, Stephen Hugh-Jones, Susan Bayly, Michel Picard and Martin Ramstedt, who have provided incisive comments and much soundadvice.IamalsoindebtedtoBillWilder,whosemeticulousreadingofthe finaldrafthasrenderedthetextconsiderablymorereader-friendlythanitwould otherwise have been. InBaliIhaveresidedinthreedifferentplaces,andwishtorecordmygratitude toallthoseBalinesefriendswhomadelifeinBalienjoyable.Specialthanksgoto WayanGinaandhisfamily,inwhosehouseinPujungmywife,sonandIlivedfor eighteenmonths.OurmanyneighboursandfriendsinPujunghelpedusinways toonumeroustorecord,andithasbeenwonderfultoseetheirchildrengrowup, getmarriedandhavechildrenoftheirown.KetutMijil,thelateJeroKubayan,Jero

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The glossy guide book image of Bali is of a timeless paradise whose people are devoutly religious and artistically gifted. However, a hundred years of colonialism, war and Indonesian independence, and tourism have produced both modernizing changes and created an image of Bali as ‘traditional’.
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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.