Islam and the Spirit Cults in New Order Indonesia

Global Flows vs. Local Knowledge

Bibliographic Data

ID5804685
AuthorsT Gibson (0000-0002-7147-8672, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume69
Issue69
Pages41-41
Publication date2000-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueIndonesia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0019-7289 • E-ISSN: 2164-8654
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3351276
OpenAlexW2315974391
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited2

On May 9,1998, on the eve of the end of the New Order, the New York Times carried this incisive analysis of events by "an Indonesian specialist considered by many of his peers to be the leading anthropologist of his generation":Professor Clifford Geertz said that in the tradition-laden culture of the central Indonesian island of Java . . .parents dote on their children in ways that other societies would consider indulgent, even excessive."Javanese children are spoiled," said Mr. Geertz . . .Mr. Geertz said that when Mr. Suharto rebuffed the International Monetary Fund last year and refused to close down many of his children's business operations . . . he was able to draw on centuries of Javanese tradition. . . ."It's not a matter of everybody in Java is exactly the same or that they all have some sort of Javanism in them that essentially determines what they do," he said, seated with his back to a collection of toothy tribal masks gathered on his travels."But the way things are going in that country, at least from afar, it does not seem unfamiliar to me." . . ."With the Javanese, you don't see violence coming until it happens," Mr. Geertz said."Once this politeness and deference and controlled demeanor collapse, then all hell breaks loose."1

Moral order · Asian Studies and History · Cultural and Religious Practices in Indonesia

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