Contemporary Bali Research Articles

Dewasa Ngundaginin: Cultural History Of Balinese Concept Of Time And Transformation Of Balinese Traditional Architect (Undagi) From Pre-Colonial To Contemporary Era

This study examines how traditional Balinese architects (undagi) have used time from classical to contemporary times. The study aims to understand Balinese culture, specifically the architectural interpretation of time, with an emphasis on undagi practises today. Modern Bali's cultural evolution is reflected in the temporal paradigm shift. The study takes a cultural history approach to create a historiography the social cultural transformation of concept of time in Bali based on government authority and undagi as architectural design labour. The research uses a diachronic system to trace the changes in time from pre-colonial Bali (8th-19th AD), and colonial (19-20 century AD) to contemporary Bali (20th-21st century AD). The research shows that the concept of space and time that is fused in the undagi practice changes when one of its elements, time, undergoes operational changes. The concept of time as a cultural foundation changes the entire cultural fabric of a region and directly transforms the profession of traditional undagi-architects as creators of the traditional spatial layout of a region. This research explains the correlation between the changing concept of time and its influence on the undagi profession, as a cultural preservation effort to preserve the decadent undagi tradition in Bali. This research contributes to research in architectural history, cultural history, cultural preservation discourse and culture-based design. Previous research on the concept of time in Bali that correlates between time, humans and its social consequences in the perspective of cultural anthropology and ritual. Few studies have examined the relationship between time and traditional Balinese undagi practise as traditional architecture builder in contemporary Bali. Comprehending space-time understanding is essential to comprehending culture from the past to the present.

PENGARUH GLOBALISASI PELAKSANAAN HARI RAYA NYEPI DALAM BALI KEKINIAN

The implementation of Nyepi is held every year. All Hindu communities make preparations in the implementation, but in its implementation in each region, Hindus welcome differences in understanding and activity in the contemporary Bali, influenced by globalization. If seen from the meaning of Nyepi, Nyepi comes from a lonely word, which means quiet, silent, loose, no activity. Then Nyepi is a Hindu New Year based on the Saka calendar / calendar, which began in 78 AD. Unlike the celebration of the new year (every January 1), the Saka New Year in Bali begins with seclusion and carrying out the chess collection, which includes among others; (1) Observe Geni (may not turn on the fire), (2) Observe the Work (may not work), (3) Observe the Surge (may not travel out of the house), (4) Observe Lelanguan (may not carry out entertainment). In this study there are several formulation of the problem discussed by the author to obtain information and procedures in the series of implementation of Settlement Brata Chess.

The Social Integration of Hindu and Muslim Communities: The Practice of "Menyama-Braya" in Contemporary Bali

The social interaction between Bugis Muslims and Hindus in Bali has long been known to be harmonious. This interaction can become a role model for religious interaction in Indonesia. This paper aims to explain the practice of menyama-braya (brotherhood) as a cultural system and its relevance to the integrative social interaction between the Hindu and Bugis Muslim communities in Bali. The research was conducted in the villages of Serangan, Kepaon, Tuban, Suwung, Tanjung Benoa, and Angantiga. The research is qualitative in nature and draws on interviews and the broader literature. The study reveals that a successful harmonious social life cannot be separated from the adoption of menyama-braya culture, which combines the attitude of solidarity and tolerance. The practice of the menyama-braya cultural system has been maintained for generations through various methods, such as socialization, rituals, the use of the same symbols, and formal educational institutions.

Horror, Transgression, and Power: The “Demonic Numinous” in the Tantra-Influenced Literatures and Visual Arts of Java and Bali

This article discusses the theme of the “demonic numinous” and its association with horror, transgression, and power in the Tantra-influenced literatures and visual arts of Java and Bali from the premodern to the modern period. Emphasizing continuities, it surveys the instantiations of those motifs in artistic and textual vestiges from Central Java (ca. 8th–10th century CE), East Java (ca. 11th–15th century CE, with an aperçu on 1960s’ New Order Indonesia), and premodern and contemporary Bali. The material presented in the article is discussed and contextualized in the light of a comparative analysis of analogous motifs attested in the literatures and arts of the Indian subcontinent and Tibet. Arguing that literary and artistic religio-cultural motifs associated with fierce or demonic deities in Java and Bali can be traced back to specific “hard-core” Śaiva and Buddhist tantric traditions permeated by a “charnel ground culture”, the article re-evaluates previous interpretations stressing the indigenous origin and local character of these motifs. In the conclusion, it tentatively proposes that the pervasiveness, resilience, and significance of the “demonic numinous complex” in the Javanese and Balinese imaginaries could be explained as a cross-fertilisation and convergence between Indic and non-Indic elements.

Theory vs. Philology in the Study of Balinese Culture, Religion, and Ritual

More than Words: Transforming Script, Agency, and Collective Life in Bali. Richard FoxCornell University Press, 2018. xviii + 239 pp., ISBN13/ 9781501725357, ISBN10/ 1501725351 This review essay is devoted to the latest book by Richard Fox on the fascinating and little-investigated subject of non-textual uses of letters (aksara) in contemporary Bali. It takes this wide-ranging publication as a point of departure for contributing to the ongoing debate between the “theorists” and the “philologi...

Fenomena Langgam Penjor Galungan pada Era Kekinian Bali

The making of penjor for the Hindu holy day of Galungan shows the existence of innovation and excessive creativities. This research was aimed at investigating the phenomenon of penjor Galungan style in the contemporary Bali which viewed from the community involvement, the use of material, and the emergence of spiritual meaning. This study used descriptive qualitative research method. The data collection was carried out through observation and literature review. The analysis shows that the Hindu community in Bali currently prefers buying the elements of penjor for rather than make by themselves; the making of penjor Galungan uses contemporary available material; and the structural spiritual meaning of penjor Galungan is being embellished by the domination of contemporary spiritual meanings.

Intersections of Gender/Sex, Multiculturalism and Religion: Young Muslim Minority Women in Contemporary Bali

This article examines the experience of Muslim female students in high schools in Bali. Since the religion of the majority of the population of Bali is Balinese Hinduism, these young women are part of a Muslim minority – unusual in Indonesia. Data were obtained through interviews and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2010. Interviewees were mainly Muslim students, but teachers and Muslim parents were also consulted. Some of the students are a minority within a state senior high school, and some attend a private Islamic school in Denpasar. Interviewees identified choice of school and the wearing of the jilbab (Islamic head-scarf) as issues for them in their everyday lives. The Islamic school is (mis-)perceived as a morally safe environment by parents. The state school does not allow the wearing of the jilbab, showing the limits of multiculturalism in Bali. While the jilbab should express piety and morality, there is some hypocrisy among some young jilbab-wearing women. Some young women have internalised the Balinese objection to poor Muslim immigrants, and feel inferior when they wear the jilbab. The data suggest that their female sex/gender flags their unequal Muslim-minority status in ways that Muslim-minority men do not experience.

Negotiating cultural constraints: strategic decision-making by widows and divorcees (janda) in contemporary Bali

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the strategies deployed by widows and divorcees (janda) in negotiating cultural constraints and social stigmatisation in contemporary Bali. In Balinese patriarchal society, women are disadvantaged in terms of their access to employment and commonly earn less than men. When a marriage ends, Balinese widows and divorcees not only lose their partners but also an important source of family income. Janda may need to take on additional burdens in supporting themselves and their families and are therefore economically vulnerable. In addition, janda are often considered to be sexually available, may be the target of men's sexual advances and thus become a frequent source of gossip. The dual state-village administrative system further complicates divorce and remarriage within Balinese patriarchal society. In order to understand how Balinese janda cope with these social and cultural constraints, this article focuses on the contrasting life histories of three janda. Deploying Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital, the analysis demonstrates that access to multiple forms of capital plays an important role in enabling Balinese janda to make their lives bearable and manageable. With adequate access to economic resources, janda can not only demonstrate their independence and ability to support their children, but also are able to meet their social and religious obligations. In this way they can maintain their respectability and social acceptance within their local communities. These findings contribute to a wider and more complex picture of the life of Balinese janda.

Review Essay: Critical Reflections on Religion and Media in Contemporary Bali

Review Essay: Critical Reflections on Religion and Media in Contemporary Bali

Alliances and Contestations in the Legal Production of Space: The Case of Bali

AbstractThe controversy over the provincial spatial planning regulation for Bali Province reflects the dynamic of Balinese society in the era of regional autonomy. The dynamic is polarised between expanding the tourism and real estate industry for economic reasons and constraining such expansion for the sake of protecting Bali’s environment and culture. Thus, the law governing space becomes an essential means to intervene in crafting the relations between competing interests over space. The application of the law itself is also complicated by the condition of legal pluralism which provides different and sometimes conflicting sources of legality to be used to justify the interests of legal actors. This article aims at highlighting how space is produced in a pluralistic legal setting and examining whose interests are served by the condition of legal pluralism in contemporary Bali. Employing socio-legal methods with Lefebvre’s conception of space and legal pluralism as an integrating analytical framework, the article contributes to the literature on spatial planning law in Indonesia that is dominated by “legal centralism” and a given notion of space.

Alliances and Contestations in the Legal Production of Space: The Case of Bali

AbstractThe controversy over the provincial spatial planning regulation for Bali Province reflects the dynamic of Balinese society in the era of regional autonomy. The dynamic is polarised between expanding the tourism and real estate industry for economic reasons and constraining such expansion for the sake of protecting Bali’s environment and culture. Thus, the law governing space becomes an essential means to intervene in crafting the relations between competing interests over space. The application of the law itself is also complicated by the condition of legal pluralism which provides different and sometimes conflicting sources of legality to be used to justify the interests of legal actors. This article aims at highlighting how space is produced in a pluralistic legal setting and examining whose interests are served by the condition of legal pluralism in contemporary Bali. Employing socio-legal methods with Lefebvre’s conception of space and legal pluralism as an integrating analytical framework, the article contributes to the literature on spatial planning law in Indonesia that is dominated by “legal centralism” and a given notion of space.

‘JENGAH’ (SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS) AND ITS VALUE TRANSFORMATION: A ROAD TOWARD GOOD GOVERNANCE AT BALI PROVINCE

Globalization and its threat continuously endanger Bali, an Island with natural and cultural uniqueness, as well as one of the 33 provinces in Indonesia. This study aims to find out, how big a threat that endangers the contemporary Bali, and the role of ‘jengah’ (self-consciousness) to face the globalization. It is found in the research that ‘jengah’ and its value transformation in it gives positive contribution to face the threat and those values can guarantee the sustainability of Bali uniqueness in the future. The research was conducted at Bali Province Government or ‘Pemprov Bali’. The research showed that by transforming the ‘jengah’ (self-consciousness) values, Bali Province Government succeeded in improving its good governance as well as the apparatuses sense of nationalism. The values also gave the positive impact to prevent the swift threat on Bali uniqueness.

Plus ça change...; Recent developments in old Javanese studies and their implications for the study of religion in contemporary Bali

Plus ça change...; Recent developments in old Javanese studies and their implications for the study of religion in contemporary Bali

Adat and Dinas: Balinese Communities in the Indonesian State.

This study focuses on the dynamics of community organization in contemporary Bali and of the ambivalent relationship between village institutions, adat, and those of the Indonesian state, dinas. Focusing on the banjar--the civic community in Bali--the book traces its role in serving the needs of the its members and the tensions implicit in its role as intermediary in the implementation of development policies.

Invention of Religion and Customs in Contemporary Bali

Invention of Religion and Customs in Contemporary Bali

Preservation and cataloguing of manuscripts in Bali

In 1973 the Faculty of Arts (FakSas) of the University of Indonesia issued a publication running to 106 pages foolscap entitled Laporan Singkat dan Daftar Sementara Proyek Penyelamatan Lontar i.e., Brief Report and Provisional Lists, Project for Safeguarding Bali's Palmleaf Manuscripts. Welcome though this project is, the report creates the impression that it has been less well planned than it might have been. Only too often has it overlooked readily available data, while, moreover, it suffers from a misconception of considerable con sequence. This state of affairs is the more to be deplored because it coincides with a misconception of a Western scholar working in the field of Balinese culture. The scholar I have in mind is Clifford Geertz, in l< 'Internal Conversion' in Contemporary Bali, published in 19641 and reproduced in Archipel 12 (1976). Since at 76 years old I am one of the few persons still living who has been involved in the preservation of Balinese manuscripts, I feel that an explanation of the methods followed and the results achieved both in the past and at present may be helpful for procedures in the future, especially as the 1973 report presents only provisional lists.