C W Watson
Biographic Data
| ID | 8061 |
|---|---|
| NAME | C W Watson |
| GIVEN NAMES | C W |
| FAMILY NAME | Watson |
| SIGNATURE | WATSON C W |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Kent |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 53 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 140 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 51 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1971 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
A translation of and commentary on Yus R. Ismail’s short story “Assalamualaikum…”
Yus R. Ismail is a prolific Sundanese short story writer whose stories regularly appear in Sundanese journals and newspapers. This story “Assalamualaikum...“ appeared in Pikiran Rakyat in August 2023. It is a characteristic story of his in that it takes as its starting point the everyday lives of Sundanese villagers, and yet at the same time creates an aura of mystery around their activities. Some brief introductory information is given on the or…
Tatar Sunda; An introduction to modern Sundanese studies
Minangkabau male angst and the autobiographical mode: Darman Moenir’s Bako
Darman Moenir’s autobiographical novel, Bako, relates the experience of the protagonist – the ‘I’ of the narrative – residing with his mother in the community of his father’s relatives, the bako of the title. According to the principles of Minangkabau matriliny, neither he nor his mother are members of the father’s kin group and there is a tension in the relationship between mother and son on one side and the bako on the other. Through successive…
Local Lineages in Kerinci, Sumatra
The district (kabupaten) of Kerinci lies on the western border of Jambi, neighbouring West Sumatra, and is now part of the province of Jambi. Previously it was incorporated into the Dutch colonial government’s province of Sumatra’s West Coast. Not knowing quite where to place Kerinci reflects an uncertainty as to which of its neighbours Kerinci, geographically isolated as it is, has the closest cultural and historical affinities. Among other puzz…
English-medium instruction in Asian business schools: A case study
Business schools in Asia frequently use English as the medium of instruction. One such school is the School of Business and Management (SBM) of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) which is recognised as one of the leading business schools in Indonesia. Doubt had been expressed whether under current English language (EL) entry requirements students have sufficient competence to complete course requirements satisfactorily. This research, limi…
Islam in and out of politics: The Indonesian case
Accounts of the relationship between Islam and politics in Indonesia often fail to appreciate the contribution that an anthropological perspective can make towards understanding the heterogeneity of Muslim communities in the country. Looking at recent events that have political dimensions in the country, this article shows how paying close attention to the popularity of celebrity preachers can complement a political science approach
The Wonder of It All: Yus R. Ismail's Sundanese story, ‘Imah kontrakan’ (The rented house)
The contemporary Sundanese short story takes many forms, one of which the article below describes as a modern fable. In introducing the term reference is made to the same genre in English literature, and then some attention is paid to how the genre has developed in West Java in the history of modern Sundanese literature. Following that there is a brief critical analysis of one story, Imah kontrakan (The rented house), the translation of which fol…
Anthropology and Literature
Bangsat: A Sundanese short story
This article is a translation of a short story written in Sundanese which appeared in the West Java press in March 2012. The introduction provides some context to contemporary short story writing in Sundanese and then introduces the story proper and makes observations about language usage. Some brief critical remarks argue for the story's literary merits and make a comparison with the work of A.A. Navis in relation to the depiction of village soc…
The novelist’s consciousness
Being there: The fieldwork encounter and the making of truth - Edited by John Borneman & Abdellah Hammoudi
Of Self and Injustice: Autobiography and Repression in Modern Indonesia
Since the downfall of Soeharto in 1998 many autobiographical writings have appeared in Indonesia from the pens of those who were marginalized by his so-called New Order regime. This book examines representative autobiographies of several such individuals: two ex-political prisoners who describe themselves as Muslim Communists; two writers of the left, one a woman in a senior position in the left-wing women s organization, Gerwani, and one a well-…
Plus ça change … ? a comparison of two Indonesian feminist novels: Suwarsih Djojopuspito's Maryati and Istiah Marzuki's Sundus
It appears a paradox that discussions of polygamy among Muslims in Indonesia to the point of making the practice seem acceptable again1 have gathered pace since the fall of Suharto's New Order. Tha
Islamic Books and their Publishers: Notes on the Contemporary Indonesian Scene
Islamic Books and their Publishers: Notes on the Contemporary Indonesian Scene* Get access C. W. Watson C. W. Watson Department of Anthropology, University of Kent, Canterbury, and the School of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Islamic Studies, Volume 16, Issue 2, May 2005, Pages 177–210, https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/eti131 Published: 01 Ma…
A Popular Indonesian Preacher: The Significance of Aa Gymnastiar
Aa Gymnastiar (Gym) is a popular Indonesian Muslim preacher who seems to be now at the pinnacle of his fame. He regularly gives advice to the head of state and to ministers and yet at the same time his approach to Islam appeals to all sections of the national Muslim community. His is a familiar face in newspaper columns and above all on television screens; Aa Gym has a masterful command of the media. This article describes and accounts for his po…
An Anthropology of Indirect Communication
Sometimes we convey what we mean not by what we say but by what we do. This type of indirect communication is sometimes called 'indirection'. From patent miscommunication, through potent ambiguity to pregnant silence this incisive collection examines from a rare anthropological perspective the many aspects of indirect communication. From a Mormon Theme Park to carnival time on Montserrat the contributors analyse indirection by illustrating how fo…
Anthropology of Indirect Communication
Islam in an Era of Nation-States: Politics and Religious Renewal in Muslim Southeast Asia
Decision-making in rural households in kerinci and minangkabau
1998). Decision‐making in rural households in kerinci and minangkabau. Indonesia and the Malay World: Vol. 26, No. 74, pp. 13-31
Beyond Translation: Essays Toward a Modern Philology
Born a Lady, Became a Princess, Died a Saint: The Reaction to the Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Obituary: Khaidir Anwar (1932–95): A personal memoir
Reconstructing Malay Identity
Afin de reconstruire l'identite malaisienne, les representants politiques veulent effacer l'image coloniale du Malais agriculteur et dependant du pouvoir. Ils veulent affirmer une image du Malais commercant et dynamique. La question de l'Islam est posee
Shorter Notices
Understanding Witchcraft and Sorcery in Southeast Asia
Ten papers from a September 1989 symposium, Manipulation of Mystical Agency and Explanations of Personal Misfortune, held in Kent, England, and an introduction to the collection. Anthropologists describe the witches and sorcerers they have met in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sumatra, and elsewhere
A Popular Indonesian Preacher: The Significance of Aa Gymnastiar
Aa Gymnastiar (Gym) is a popular Indonesian Muslim preacher who seems to be now at the pinnacle of his fame. He regularly gives advice to the head of state and to ministers and yet at the same time his approach to Islam appeals to all sections of the national Muslim community. His is a familiar face in newspaper columns and above all on television screens; Aa Gym has a masterful command of the media. This article describes and accounts for his po…
Local Government and Community in Java: An Urban Case-Study
This book discusses the development and use of community as an instrument of government. It argues that the small local communities embracing most of Java's population are basically political constructions and elements of a modern capitalist order. Sullivan proposes that the practice demonstrates that it is more efficient to govern communal collectives than a smaller family or other household units, making it possible to control vast populations …
Exploring the Written: Anthropology and the Multiplicity of Writing
Matriliny and Migration: Evolving Minangkabau Traditions in Indonesia
Islamic Books and their Publishers: Notes on the Contemporary Indonesian Scene
Islamic Books and their Publishers: Notes on the Contemporary Indonesian Scene* Get access C. W. Watson C. W. Watson Department of Anthropology, University of Kent, Canterbury, and the School of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Islamic Studies, Volume 16, Issue 2, May 2005, Pages 177–210, https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/eti131 Published: 01 Ma…
Reclaiming English Kinship: Portuguese Refractions of British Kinship Theory
Dissociated Identities: Ethnicity, Religion, and Class in an Indonesian Society
Born a Lady, Became a Princess, Died a Saint: The Reaction to the Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Decision-making in rural households in kerinci and minangkabau
1998). Decision‐making in rural households in kerinci and minangkabau. Indonesia and the Malay World: Vol. 26, No. 74, pp. 13-31
Indonesia: The transmigration program in perspective
Journal Article Indonesia: the transmigration program in perspective Get access Indonesia: the transmigration program in perspective. Washington, DC: World Bank. 1988. 230pp. (World Bank Country Study.) Pb.: $17.00. ISBN 0 8213 1092 5. C. W. Watson C. W. Watson 1University of Kent Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 65, Issue 4, Autumn 1989, Pages 760–761, https://doi.org/10.2307/…
Some preliminary remarks on the antecedents of modern Indonesian literature
Reconstructing Malay Identity
Afin de reconstruire l'identite malaisienne, les representants politiques veulent effacer l'image coloniale du Malais agriculteur et dependant du pouvoir. Ils veulent affirmer une image du Malais commercant et dynamique. La question de l'Islam est posee
English-medium instruction in Asian business schools: A case study
Business schools in Asia frequently use English as the medium of instruction. One such school is the School of Business and Management (SBM) of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) which is recognised as one of the leading business schools in Indonesia. Doubt had been expressed whether under current English language (EL) entry requirements students have sufficient competence to complete course requirements satisfactorily. This research, limi…
The Experience of Rural Poverty in Malay Novels
In significant contrast with Indonesian writing there is in Malay literature a body of work concerned with rural life. That this is the case suggests the degree to which Malay writers even today have their roots in the agricultural cycle of peasant experience. Those who now work in clerical jobs, in publishing, in journalism, in teaching, those in fact who make up the writers of the novels, however divorced and remote their present life-styles an…
Beyond Translation: Essays Toward a Modern Philology
Case Study: Fieldwork in Undergraduate Anthropology: For and Against
There is some disagreement among teaching anthropologists in Britain about whether fieldwork for undergraduates should be encouraged. This paper discusses some of the relevant arguments on both sides and describes some of the courses in which fieldwork currently has a place. In the last part of the paper I describe my own recent experience trying to introduce a fieldwork element into a new course, and I examine the success and failure of the cour…
Understanding Witchcraft and Sorcery in Southeast Asia
Sumatran Politics and Poetics: Gayo History, 1900-1989
Medizin und kultureller Wandel auf den Kei-Inseln (Molukken)
Salah Asuhan and the Romantic Tradition in the Early Indonesian Novel
The orthodox approach to a criticism of early Indonesian novels has always been to see the novel as an expression of the clash between adat and modernism, between the old conservative traditions upheld by the elders of the village community and the new Weltanschauung of the members of the younger generation. The latter have been exposed to Western traditions of thought, and their desires and ambitions refuse to be contained by the traditional pat…
Some preliminary remarks on the antecedents of modern Indonesian literature
Salah Asuhan and the Romantic Tradition in the Early Indonesian Novel
The orthodox approach to a criticism of early Indonesian novels has always been to see the novel as an expression of the clash between adat and modernism, between the old conservative traditions upheld by the elders of the village community and the new Weltanschauung of the members of the younger generation. The latter have been exposed to Western traditions of thought, and their desires and ambitions refuse to be contained by the traditional pat…
Some reflections on new directions in Dutch colonial historiography
A new introduction to modern Indonesian literature
(1982). A new introduction to modern Indonesian literature. Indonesia Circle. School of Oriental & African Studies. Newsletter: Vol. 10, No. 29, pp. 33-40
Fertility and Kinship in the Philippines
Matriliny and Migration: Evolving Minangkabau Traditions in Indonesia
Observations on Dutch colonial literature
The four books considered here are recent titles in the new Library of the Indies series,the first book of which was reviewed in Indonesia Circle, 29, 1982:54-56. The books here discussed amply fulfil the promise of the earlier volume. The quality of the translations is uniformly high, and their production and publication are a credit to the series editor, Professor Beekman, whose informative editorial notes and comments continue to be one of the…
Higher education in Indonesia
(1986). Higher education in Indonesia. Indonesia Circle. School of Oriental & African Studies. Newsletter: Vol. 14, No. 41, pp. 39-44
V. Nehru and Sukarno 1919-1942. An Essay in Comparison
In May 1934 Nehru and Sukarno were both in detention. Nehru was in Dehra Dun jail sentenced to two years after having been found guilty of making a seditious speech. Sukarno, also arrested for sedition, was in exile on the island of Flores. For both men it was a period of reflection and analysis, a time to review the progress of the nationalist movement and make some assessment of their own contributions to it. Nehru, more given to introspection …
Indonesian studies in the peoples republic of China
Healing Practices in the South Pacific
Dutch colonial literature
Max Havelaar ‐ Multatuli. Translated from the Dutch by Roy Edwards. Penguin Books, 1987 (First edition 1860) pp. 337. Mirror of the Indies. A History of Dutch Colonial Literature. Rob Nieuwenhuys Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1982 pp. xxix + 336 Fugitive Dreams. An Anthology of Dutch Colonial Literature. Edited and translated by E.M. Beekman. Amherst: The Universtiy of Massachusetts Press, 1988 pp. xvi + 323
Medizin und kultureller Wandel auf den Kei-Inseln (Molukken)
The study of Indonesian and Malay autobiogrrphy
(1989). The study of Indonesian and Malay autobiogrrphy. Indonesia Circle. School of Oriental & African Studies. Newsletter: Vol. 17, No. 49, pp. 3-18
Indonesia: The transmigration program in perspective
Journal Article Indonesia: the transmigration program in perspective Get access Indonesia: the transmigration program in perspective. Washington, DC: World Bank. 1988. 230pp. (World Bank Country Study.) Pb.: $17.00. ISBN 0 8213 1092 5. C. W. Watson C. W. Watson 1University of Kent Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 65, Issue 4, Autumn 1989, Pages 760–761, https://doi.org/10.2307/…
The Experience of Rural Poverty in Malay Novels
In significant contrast with Indonesian writing there is in Malay literature a body of work concerned with rural life. That this is the case suggests the degree to which Malay writers even today have their roots in the agricultural cycle of peasant experience. Those who now work in clerical jobs, in publishing, in journalism, in teaching, those in fact who make up the writers of the novels, however divorced and remote their present life-styles an…
Indonesian studies in Britain: Some comparative remarks
Short notes: Two comments on the article by Sweeney and a postscript — Indonesian studies in the German democratic republic since 1980 — News from Britain — News from New Zealand — News from the USSR
(1990). Short notes: Two comments on the article by Sweeney and a postscript — Indonesian studies in the German democratic republic since 1980 — News from Britain — News from New Zealand — News from the USSR. Indonesia Circle. School of Oriental & African Studies. Newsletter: Vol. 18, No. 51, pp. 37-40
The Manipulation of Mystical Agency and Explanations of Personal Misfortunes in Southeast Asia
Sumatran Politics and Poetics: Gayo History, 1900-1989
Understanding Witchcraft and Sorcery in Southeast Asia
Reclaiming English Kinship: Portuguese Refractions of British Kinship Theory
Local Government and Community in Java: An Urban Case-Study
This book discusses the development and use of community as an instrument of government. It argues that the small local communities embracing most of Java's population are basically political constructions and elements of a modern capitalist order. Sullivan proposes that the practice demonstrates that it is more efficient to govern communal collectives than a smaller family or other household units, making it possible to control vast populations …
Shorter Notices
Understanding Witchcraft and Sorcery in Southeast Asia
Ten papers from a September 1989 symposium, Manipulation of Mystical Agency and Explanations of Personal Misfortune, held in Kent, England, and an introduction to the collection. Anthropologists describe the witches and sorcerers they have met in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sumatra, and elsewhere
History (37 works) · Asian Studies and History (30 works) · Sociology (30 works) · Philosophy (25 works) · History (24 works) · Linguistics (19 works) · Political science (18 works) · Philosophy (17 works) · Art (14 works) · Indonesian (14 works)