This book focuses on several Javanese theatre companies and more specifically on the way these groups shape and use their play texts. By looking at the different stages and dimensions of Javanese... Show moreThis book focuses on several Javanese theatre companies and more specifically on the way these groups shape and use their play texts. By looking at the different stages and dimensions of Javanese theatre productions various manifestations of the script and ‘script-like phenomena’ are encountered. All these phenomena play an important role in the production process as a whole. They are mnemonic and structuring devices employed by the participants of the production process. In case studies is explained how the playwright-director creates these tools and how he and the actors apply them. Furthermore, it is shown how ‘shaping agents’ such as the playwright-director, his assistant, the guest star and the companion of the guest star are at work during the performance. These agents influence the way the actors apply the mnemonic and structuring devices that form part of the production process. The interaction between shaping agents is characterised by multiple (humorous) misunderstandings. These misunderstandings eventually lead to collisions and call for multiple creative solutions in response. As a result the Javanese staging process has a lively, spontaneous and creative character. Show less
In the last two decades El-Niño-induced fires have caused widespread destruction of forests in East Kalimantan. The 1997-98 fires were the most extensive yet. The post-fire situation was studied in... Show moreIn the last two decades El-Niño-induced fires have caused widespread destruction of forests in East Kalimantan. The 1997-98 fires were the most extensive yet. The post-fire situation was studied in detail by field assessments and high-resolution SAR-images. My results show that rain forests are better able to conserve their high plant diversity than has been assumed because of the network of unburnt remnant forest, large remnant trees, and abundant tree regeneration. These elements were present in burnt forests throughout the burnt region. Subsequent destructive human activities, rather than El-Niño fires themselves, are the major threat to these forests' plant diversity. Show less
Focus of the study is the potential role of local institutions in fisheries management. As world-wide marine resources deteriorate, the call for better management urges national governments to... Show moreFocus of the study is the potential role of local institutions in fisheries management. As world-wide marine resources deteriorate, the call for better management urges national governments to decentralise management authority to local and lower government levels. Ownership and long-term access to resources are important incentives to manage resources for sustainability, while proximity to the resource, relevant local knowledge and local management institutions allow for effective and more equitable management that is both adaptive and resilient. Sasi in Maluku, Indonesia, is such an institution and has often been heralded as an example of successful local resource management. The extent to which it was still active and functional, however, was not known. This thesis contains an inventory of sasi and an analysis of its performance in terms of equity, efficiency, biological and social sustainability, and is illustrated by an elaborate description of sasi in Nolloth village. The study of sasi has been put in the wider context of decentralisation in Indonesia which is compared to the process in the Philippines. The results have also been used to identify the factors that enhance success of co-management in Southeast Asia. Finally a methodology is proposed to measure this success in an appropriate way. Show less
When the Asian economic crisis struck Indonesia in 1997 it was generally thought to signal the end of a system of power defined by the corrupt and collusive relationships of KKN (Korupsi, Kolusi... Show moreWhen the Asian economic crisis struck Indonesia in 1997 it was generally thought to signal the end of a system of power defined by the corrupt and collusive relationships of KKN (Korupsi, Kolusi dan Nepotisme). Surely the days of the crony were over, and their corporate empires would be taken over by large international investors. Show less
Nearly five years after the implementation of administrative decentralisation in Indonesia, popular influence on governance has increased, especially at the kabupaten (district) level, where 'local... Show moreNearly five years after the implementation of administrative decentralisation in Indonesia, popular influence on governance has increased, especially at the kabupaten (district) level, where 'local ways' have become a hot topic in political discourse. But what are local ways and to whom do they belong? Can they be reconciled with national law? Consider land tenure, where district regulations and grassroots practice often differ: in Pasir, government and society are looking to tradition, national law and Pasir identity to redefine authority over land. Show less
What the islands deliver is in the first place sandalwood, and also some gold and beeswax.... The inhabitants...who often wage war on each other, sometimes draw the Company into the game..., the... Show moreWhat the islands deliver is in the first place sandalwood, and also some gold and beeswax.... The inhabitants...who often wage war on each other, sometimes draw the Company into the game..., the reason why we sometimes achieve some slaves.... But since the relation with Portugal is at peace again...we have and keep only a small activity on Timor as well as Solor, pending the small trade that is done here, and also because the Portuguese have drawn everything to themselves, being by far the strongest and mostly having the inhabitants by their side through their priests and divines, and by those means taking much advantage over us. Show less
Experts and most Indonesians agree that since the fall of Suharto in 1998, Reformasi and Demokratisasi have failed to check corruption, commonly referred to as KKN: Korupsi, Kolusi dan Nepotisme.... Show moreExperts and most Indonesians agree that since the fall of Suharto in 1998, Reformasi and Demokratisasi have failed to check corruption, commonly referred to as KKN: Korupsi, Kolusi dan Nepotisme. The new government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has made the fight against KKN its chief priority, but the results so far have been disappointing. Show less
Most Indonesian urban poor live in ramshackle settlements called kampungs and occupy land according to tenure arrangements unrecognised by the formal land law regime. Reform since the 1998 fall of... Show moreMost Indonesian urban poor live in ramshackle settlements called kampungs and occupy land according to tenure arrangements unrecognised by the formal land law regime. Reform since the 1998 fall of Suharto has led to some recognition of these 'semiformal' arrangements. This complicates the ambitious development agenda of a city like Bandung, pitting two sides with seemingly conflicting interests against each other: the urban poor and the municipal government. Both are dissatisfied with Bandung's land reforms. Show less
Gandrung is a beloved entertainment for ritual celebrations in rural Banyuwangi in easternmost Java. In this genre - a variety of one known throughout western Indonesia - a professional female... Show moreGandrung is a beloved entertainment for ritual celebrations in rural Banyuwangi in easternmost Java. In this genre - a variety of one known throughout western Indonesia - a professional female singer-dancer, the gandrung (who gives the genre its name) dances with male guests, accompanied by a small ensemble of drums, violins, gongs, and a triangle. It is not always easy for a gandrung to entice guests onto the dance floor, since their dancing, like hers, requires artistry and poise while their movements will be watched critically by spectators, who may include their own wives and children. Show less
As modernisation and globalisation extend into eastern Indonesia, traditional culture's decline in rural communities is undermining the vibrancy and dynamism of their arts. A partnership between... Show moreAs modernisation and globalisation extend into eastern Indonesia, traditional culture's decline in rural communities is undermining the vibrancy and dynamism of their arts. A partnership between two organisations in Australia and Indonesia is supporting a rededication of these communities to the traditions and values of the past through a program that facilitates a re-imagining of their place in the future. Show less
Nurcholish Madjid, Indonesia’s best known Muslim intellectual, died in August last year after a prolonged and painful illness. At the time of his death, the country appeared to be drifting away... Show moreNurcholish Madjid, Indonesia’s best known Muslim intellectual, died in August last year after a prolonged and painful illness. At the time of his death, the country appeared to be drifting away into increasing religious intolerance: physical attacks by radical Muslims on makeshift churches and assaults on the main centre of the Ahmaddiyah movement, death threats against liberal Muslim thinkers, fatwas of Indonesia’s Ulama Council, once a paragon of moderation, against “liberal Islam,” secularism and religious pluralism. The days in which Nurcholish’ voice of moderation and inter-religious understanding was almost hegemonic, at least in the media, are rapidly fading away, and memories of Nurcholish resonate with nostalgia for times of greater harmony. Show less
