Description
Book SynopsisIn The Encoded Cirebon Mask: Materiality, Flow, and Meaning along Java’s Islamic Northwest Coast, Laurie Margot Ross situates masks and masked dancing in the Cirebon region of Java (Indonesia) as an original expression of Islam. This is a different view from that of many scholars, who argue that canonical prohibitions on fashioning idols and imagery prove that masks are mere relics of indigenous beliefs that Muslim travelers could not eradicate. Making use of archives, oral histories, and the performing objects themselves, Ross traces the mask’s trajectory from a popular entertainment in Cirebon—once a portal of global exchange—to a stimulus for establishing a deeper connection to God in late colonial Java, and eventual links to nationalism in post-independence Indonesia.
Trade Review"This is a rare case of a scholar taking seriously the Islamic religious sentiments that underlie a local Southeast Asian artistic tradition." - Shahzad Bashir, Lysbeth Warren Anderson Professor in Islamic Studies, Stanford "A mountain of fascinating information." – Benedict Anderson, Aaron L. Binenkorb Late Professor Emeritus of Government and International Studies, Cornell University
Table of ContentsFigures, Drawings, Map Introduction Part I: Cultural Markers Chapter 1: The Pasisir in the Age of Steam, Sail, and the Railway Chapter 2: Independence: Registration Cards, Theme Parks, and Topeng Tours Chapter 3: Floating Artists on the Circumambulatory Road Part II: Mystic Travelers Chapter 4: Tuning the Body: Dzikir Flows and Sonic Theism Chapter 5: Engaging the Body and the Senses Part III: Objects that Speak Chapter 6: Looking Closely: The Iconic Mask Chapter 7: Looking Closer: The Inner Face Chapter 8: Mapping Tarekat: Performing the Mosque/Grave Complex Conclusion Appendix I: The Topeng Cosmology Appendix II: Fitting Susuk Glossary Works Consulted
