Showing papers in "Sojourn in 2006"

Globalizing Local Knowledge: Social Science Research on Southeast Asia, 1970-2000

Abstract: New knowledge is produced at great speed and fed into a global epistemic machinery of data banks, publications, and think tanks. In reverse, global knowledge is absorbed and used locally. Locally produced knowledge is on the increase as society moves towards a knowledge society. Social science research adds to knowledge of societies. If it is locally produced, it can be interpreted as reflexive modernization in so far as it provides paradigms for an interpretation of social processes and structures. This article traces the development of social science research on Southeast Asia and its increasing localization. A model is developed to summarize the output of interpretative schemes and published documents. Statistical data on the global absorption of locally produced knowledge are used to measure the extent of the move towards a knowledge society. Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines have relatively high local social science output, whereas Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos have low output rates. We diagnose four different paths from 1970 to 2000: Indonesia shows a stable high level of dependence, Malaysia and the Philippines are increasing local output but also increasing dependence, whereas Singapore is increasing output with decreasing dependence on global social science knowledge.

"Join Together, Work Together, for the Common Good--Solidarity": Village Formation Processes in the Rural South of Laos

Abstract: This article explores the concept of the solidary village in contemporary Laos. It argues that the "village" today is not a fixed, primordial entity, but a continually emergent formation resulting from numerous processes, including but not limited to modern state processes. The notion of "village" circulates in the ambiguous "common sense" pertaining to rural Laos, in the attitudes, expectations, representations, and regulated requirements of the rural, in what I term village formation projects. Case studies of "village formation projects" in one village in southern Laos illustrate not only the importance of the village concept, but also its indeterminacy and fluidity, and the ensuing difficulty of achieving the "solidarity" and cooperative donation required by poverty reduction policies.

Between Empowerment and Power: The Rise of the Self-Supporting Church in Western Flores, Eastern Indonesia

Abstract: This article explores how ideas about empowerment often end up being manipulated by those in power, its implications, and what effect this has had on the trajectory of the Catholic Church in the western part of Flores during this period of revival, empowerment, and "indigenization". What many have referred to as a "decentralization of money politics" into the provincial regions during the regional autonomy era seems to have reinforced an increasing emphasis on money in power configurations; this has occurred not only in local political dealings, but also in the church hierarchy. Against the wider historical background of the Catholic Church in Western Flores, particularly the rise of the "self-supporting Church" in the Manggaraian Diocese, this article examines developments of indigenizing and empowering the local Catholic community. The suggestion is that the conflicts in the Manggaraian Church reflect strains that have existed historically in the structure of the Catholic Church and represent tension within the Church between struggles for power over the community and efforts to empower the community.

Why I'm a Foucauldian

Abstract: The differences between Mr Curaming and myself can begin to be seen more clearly if we avoid the generic term “poststructuralism” and instead focus on the work of the theorists that he and I, respectively, draw upon. In my recent work on religion, gender, and sexuality in Thailand, and in the articles that Mr Curaming critiques, I have been interested in developing Michel Foucault’s ideas on the productivity of power and historical ruptures in forms of discourse to understand modern Thai cultural history. In contrast, Mr Curaming’s main interest is the work of Jacques Derrida. While both Foucault and Derrida are commonly called poststructuralists, this label obscures important differences between their approaches and overlooks the fact that the two men fell out over theoretical issues. Many of the errors that Mr Curaming says that he finds in my work emerge from the fact that he draws upon his understanding of Derrida in order to critique my understanding of Foucault. The supposed faults that Mr Curaming outlines in fact mirror issues that Foucault and Derrida failed to agree on. I do not suggest that my work is errorfree or that I have understood Foucault’s ideas perfectly. However, Mr Curaming’s critique does not so much reflect the particular failings of my studies as it replays general tensions within the variegated body of poststructuralist thought. Foucault insisted that it is possible to analyse the power structures that underpin a body of discourse, and given that the pattern of power in any historical situation has a characteristic form then the discourses produced under that regime will also have specifiable

Towards a Poststructuralist Southeast Asian Studies

Abstract: This article is specifically in response to the two thought-provoking articles ("Space, Theory and Hegemony: The Dual Crises of Asian Area Studies and Cultural Studies" and "Mapping Poststructuralism's Border: The Case for a Poststructuralist Area Studies") published in Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia in April 2003. It questions the viability of the author's attempt to integrate poststructuralism in an effort to re-invent conventional area studies, such as Southeast Asian Studies. It argues that the justification for the call for a poststructuralist area studies is flawed and that while there is a need to re-invent area studies, it cannot be safely accomplished by appropriating poststructuralism as a theoretical support. This is primarily because the opposing epistemological foundations of the two projects — area studies and poststructuralism — will tend to cancel each other out and analysis therefore that purports to combine the two contains contradictions. It further argues that poststructuralism can be more useful in playing the role of a higher-order critique of — as adjunct to, rather than as an integral part of — area studies.

Muhammadiyah, local politics and local identity in Kotagede

Abstract: This article is a preliminary observation of local politics and local identity in Kotagede, Central Java, Indonesia, during the post-Soeharto period. It examines the roles of Muhammadiyah and local actors in maintaining local identity in this town. I highlight the importance of Islamic and Javanese traditions in shaping the local history and the dynamics of local politics in Kotagede. I also argue that there is a place for local actors and social networks in the pursuit of preserving local identity in this town. Some observations are made about the impact of the Yogyakarta earthquake and future research directions.

Bright Celestial: Progress in the Political Thought of Tan Teck Soon

Abstract: This article focuses on the work of an outstanding Chinese Singaporean scholar who was active in the significant cultural and political movements that took place in Singapore around the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Tan Teck Soon was a contemporary of such luminaries as Lim Boon Keng, Song Ong Siang, Tan Boo Liat, and Gnoh Lean Tuck. He took leading roles in many of the same organizations as they, collaborating with them on the notable cultural projects of the period. Yet compared with his contemporaries and peers, Tan Teck Soon has suffered relative neglect at the hands of historians. To date there has been no study of the nature and development of his political thought. The aims of this article are to draw attention to Tan Teck Soon's important intellectual contribution to the pivotal movements of the turn of the 20th century; to situate his work with respect to the various analytical schemas which have been proposed for understanding the political positions of the overseas Chinese in colonized Malaya, including Singapore; and above all to put forward the argument that, by looking closely at the body of Tan's work, a significant trajectory of politicization and radicalization is discernible. There are many different aspects of Tan's rich oeuvre that could be studied, but in this article the focus is on underlining the theme of progress which runs through all his work and demonstrating the process of radicalization in Tan's thought.

Understanding the Cham Identity in Mainland Southeast Asia: Contending Views

Abstract: The Cham people had established extensive and intense webs of relationships that encompassed activities in the economic, religious, cultural, and political spheres throughout maritime Southeast Asia. This article seeks to answer the question: What qualities do the Chams possess that allowed them to successfully participate in the cultural and social dynamics in societies other than their own? Throughout the course of this article, I attempt to locate Cham ethnicity in the context of several theories of Ethnicity. This will be followed by an attempt to address this issue through various means namely understanding the phenomenon of "Cham Ethnic mobility" throughout the perspective of "layers" i.e., the "historical" layer, the "religious layer", and the "oppressed minority". I argue that by analysing the Chams through the perspective of these layers, one is able to garner a more nuanced view of the Chams especially in regard to their ability to negotiate cultural and national boundaries of nation states in Southeast Asia.

Grounded Cosmopolitans and the Bureaucratic Field: Musical Performance at Two Yogyakarta State Institutions

Abstract: Drawing on ethnographic research in Yogyakarta (Indonesia) in 2001, this article discusses two musical events with clear political dimensions. It seeks to broaden the parameters of discussion on music and politics by engaging two theoretical perspectives. The first, Bourdieu's bureaucratic field, highlights various "species of capital"; the second, grounded cosmopolitanism, considers attitudes, practices, and outcomes not easily explained within a framework of political contestation. The cases explored are a campursari Awards Night at the Regional Parliament and a street music (musik jalanan) contest at the National Air Force Academy. While maintaining that musical performance cannot be reduced entirely to politics, the article concludes that the bureaucratic capital of physical force dominated the particular cases.

Acting Authoritatively: How Authority Is Expressed through Social Action among the Bentian of Indonesian Borneo (review)

Abstract: As the title suggests, the main focus of this book is on authority among the Bentian, a small Dayak group within the broader “Luangan” ethnic cluster in southeast Kalimantan. The revised version of Sillander’s Ph.D. thesis at the University of Helsinki, the book still has that “thesis” feel to it — detail upon detail accompanied by heavy theoretical aims structuring the narrative, with citations and qualifications left and right to cover every conceivable challenge from an examination committee. However, in this case, that is not necessarily a bad thing: the detail concerning this little-known group of people is rich, relevant and well-described, providing an important source for comparative studies in kinship, religion, and politics. In addition, Sillander reminds us of the contribution that studies on Borneo can make to theoretical concerns, as his use of (for example) Pierre Bourdieu and Max Weber reveals. Consonant with his focus on social action, Sillander deals with authority as “a capacity to influence or authorize people’s actions or views” (p. 7, original emphasis) and how authority operates through communication between people, with mutual influence being created between the superand subordinate. Authority does not end there, however, as it is also a process generated by people to enable their own actions, rather than just influence others. Indeed, this “selfauthorization” forms an important theme in the book. Sillander’s focus thus puts us squarely into the motivations of socially embedded agents producing both “free-floating” and “objectified” authority; that is, authority that is not tied to institutions or personalities and authority that is “consciously perceived as authoritative or authorizing” (p. 13). Following his theory-laden introductory chapter, including the obligatory “description of fieldwork” (which I have always found