Art as Politics : : Re-Crafting Identities, Tourism, and Power in Tana Toraja, Indonesia / / Kathleen M. Adams.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Asian Studies Backlist (2000-2014) eBook Package
• VerfasserIn: Adams, Kathleen M.,
• Place / Publishing House: Honolulu : : University of Hawaii Press, , [2006]; ©2006
• Year of Publication: 2006
• Language: English
• Series: Southeast Asia: Politics, Meaning, and Memory ; 2
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (304 p.) :; 35 illus., 15 in color

Art as Politics explores the intersection of art, identity politics, and tourism in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Based on long-term ethnographic research from the 1980s to the present, the book offers a nuanced portrayal of the Sa'dan Toraja, a predominantly Christian minority group in the world's most populous Muslim country. Celebrated in anthropological and tourism literatures for their spectacular traditional houses, sculpted effigies of the dead, and pageantry-filled funeral rituals, the Toraja have entered an era of accelerated engagement with the global economy marked by on-going struggles over identity, religion, and social relations.In her engaging account, Kathleen Adams chronicles how various Toraja individuals and groups have drawn upon artistically-embellished "traditional" objects-as well as monumental displays, museums, UNESCO ideas about "word heritage," and the World Wide Web-to shore up or realign aspects of a cultural heritage perceived to be under threat. She also considers how outsiders-be they tourists, art collectors, members of rival ethnic groups, or government officials-have appropriated and reframed Toraja art objects for their own purposes. Her account illustrates how art can serve as a catalyst in identity politics, especially in the context of tourism and social upheaval.Ultimately, this insightful work prompts readers to rethink persistent and pernicious popular assumptions-that tourism invariably brings a loss of agency to local communities or that tourist art is a compromised form of expression. Art as Politics promises to be a favorite with students and scholars of anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, ethnic relations, art, and Asian studies.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Carvings, Christianity, And Chips -- 2. Competing Toraja Images Of Identity -- 3. The Carved Tongkonan -- 4. Mortuary Effigies And Identity Politics -- 5. Ceremonials, Monumental Displays, And Museumification -- 6. Toraja Icons On The National And Transnational Stage -- 7. Carving New Conceptions Of Community In An Era Of Religious And Ethnic Violence -- 8. From Toraja Heritage To World Heritage? -- Notes -- Glossary Of Frequently Used Terms -- References -- Index