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| | Location: Home » Asia Travel » Middle Eastern » Art As Politics: Re-crafting Identities, Tourism, And Power in Tana Toraja, Indonesia (Southeast Asia--Politics, Meaning and Memory) | November 22, 2008 |
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| Art As Politics: Re-crafting Identities, Tourism, And Power in Tana Toraja, Indonesia (Southeast Asia--Politics, Meaning and Memory) | 
 enlarge | Author: Kathleen M. Adams
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $20.00
You Save: $5.00 (20%)
Buy New/Used from $17.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  (5 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1217501
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 286
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 1
ISBN: 0824830725
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.89922
EAN: 9780824830724
ASIN: 0824830725
Publication Date: September 30, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
"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.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great book on Indonesian art! April 20, 2008
This is a fascinating book on studying the art of an Indonesian group and how it relates to politics. The author also shares a lot about her fieldwork, how she got the information she did and what daily life was like when she was doing her research there. A must-read for anyone who ever wondered what it would be like to be an anthropologist studying another group!
Wonderful, Well-written Book April 6, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a thoughtful academic book that is fascinating to read. Seldom do scholars treat their subject with such a personal touch and still attain a high academic level. Adams shows clearly and in a highly readable fashion how the Toraja are able to use their art as a vehicle for political expression. Adams includes lot of nuanced insight in her pages, showing the intricate ways in which these highland people have adapted and preserved their culture despite the constant intrusions of the outside world. An outstanding book in every way.
Wonderful and unique book! April 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Kathleen Adams' finely written book especially proves the value of an anthropologist studying with and knowing a group of people over decades--thus creating a rich cultural epic. This is a complex yet very readable account of the mountain dwelling Sa'dan Toraja of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The author illuminates histories (from a number of views), the inevitable dynamism of art forms, and honest ethnographic experiences. She brings to life the people in her book within intricate stories reflecting the pressures of history-- brilliantly linking art and life through the changes of time. This is an anthropology of art and of an Indonesian people that deeply resonates today. Rich in description and humanity, meticulous in references, theoretically sophisticated, and many-layered in meanings, the book is also refreshingly lively and engaging in writing style. A welcome break from overly jargonistic books that seem to be written for ten people to read. Anyone interested in learning of other cultures, Indonesia, the people of Toraja, artistic processes, the workings of history, good story-telling, and impressive cultural anthropology will enjoy this book. Really a gem.
 Shows the poltics of Toraja art in a verrrryyyy slow and pointless way March 21, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
first off, I must say that the topic itself is not that bad, the author tries to demonstrate how the art of the Toraja people of Indonesians has been politicized (even though i disagree with her methods, she really brings too much personal emotion into her research). but i must say that the book seems to just keep on going on about something that could have been written about in half the length. she reuses the same concepts and experiences to create new chapters.....pretty disappointed
fascinating book on Indonesian Toraja artists April 11, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Art as Politics is a thought provoking and very readable account of how tourism, world religions, and Indonesian politics have changed the lives and culture of the Toraja. (The Toraja people are a minority ethnic group on the island of Sulawesi.) What first attracted my attention was the striking carved portrait on the cover. The artistic skill of the Toraja artisans is truly noteworthy which gives this book a particular importance in understanding how culture shapes art. Adams describes in warm and vivid detail the changes the Toraja have faced over the past two decades and how this has affected their artistic productions as well as their attitudes about their art. In addition, the production quality of the color photos and other illustrations is praiseworthy. One thing that modern Western culture has obscured about art is the importance of social-cultural constraints and rewards. In the West we follow along with Romantic notions of Art as the product of the isolated genius. However, art generally was and probably still is mostly produced to serve social and religious purposes. Adams describes the complexities of the Toraja attitudes about their art and culture in the sometimes traumatic interplay of tradition and modern society that Indonesia has experienced since the 70s. While interested in the art of other cultures, I have only taken one college anthropology course, yet I had no difficulty following the points expressed. The people in this book really come alive and the author has a very readable and involving manner of expression. Armchair travelers, people interested in other cultures with strong religious traditions, and people interested in ethnic arts will love this book.
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