Reflections Written by Rachel Chia Photographs taken by Khoo Yi Feng This trip to the Indonesian Embassy was organized by Dr Effendy, main coordinator of the Southeast Asia in Context Summer School, who thought that a trip to the embassy would be a useful experience as students would not only get more information about Indonesian culture and society, but would also allow Southeast Asian Studies majors to get a glimpse of the inner workings of embassies and the role that embassies play in the region. As we entered the Embassy, it was not quite what I had expected. The hall beside the entrance was furnished with a variety of performing arts artefacts, giving one the sense that the place was as much a cultural representative of Indonesia’s presence in Singapore, even as it was a political space. There were no starkly professional, official interiors, but instead, markers of tradition everywhere. In a sense, it felt almost homely. I thought it interesting that Indonesia’s self-identity and its portrayal of itself to the others was such a benign yet culturally rich image. As a political science student, my knowledge on this aspect of Indonesia is limited. Yet, to see how much tradition, myth-making, and religion is a way of life and of being –- not just for the individual, but for the nation –- is intriguing. Would a Western embassy, for that matter, operate on more formal norms? For example, a story was mentioned about how Indonesians take special precautions at Yogyakarta’s Parangtritis Beach to avoid the hauntings of spirits like the Queen of the South Sea. Similarly, the villagers living near Mount Merapi chose not to evacuate despite obvious danger because the volcano’s gatekeeper, Mbah Maridjan, had not. One gets the sense that the local reality shifts constantly between dimensions of secularity into religiosity, and tradition back into modernity. It was intriguing to see how contradicting concerns surface at different points in time to affect decisions. On that note, I found the embassy a unique institution where the two unlikely fields of politics and culture meet, meld together, and interact. It was also interesting to me to see how the needs of the economy continue to foster the kind of fluidity that characterizes Southeast Asia. A point was raised about the extent of interdependence between Indonesia and Singapore’s economy. A display of this was the case where workers from a Singapore company working on a project in Indonesia, would likely be Indonesians themselves. Even though this scenario can probably be found all around the world, I thought it interesting especially since Southeast Asia has never had very rigid borders, and work and immigration are among the forces that keep this going today. The extent of this phenomenon is captured by the fact that economic ties are thick and complex; Singapore is the largest FDI investor to Indonesia, also because it is a portal for overseas investment to enter. Furthermore, as Dr Ismunandar, the Education and Cultural Attaché, mentioned, the large size of the embassy grounds is supposed to reflect the two countries’ large area of shared mutual interest. Despite thorny issues like the haze and the MacDonald House bombing arising between the two countries, I thought that the large area of economic interdependence must be a major stabilizing factor in their bilateral ties. We also learnt that a prominent social problem in Yogyakarta was youth drug and liquor abuse. Despite the increasing Islamization of Indonesia’s politics in recent years and according government crackdowns, it appeared that these conservative norms had yet to permeate the roots of local life. Lastly, I was curious about how embassy workers might navigate their own national and cultural identity. One of the speakers, Pak Ramle Ismail explained that he was Singaporean, but that he often travelled, worked, and lived in Yogyakarta. He spoke their language well. His friends and networks were there, and locals mistook him for one of them. He did not get a chance to share how he had come to such a situation, but it made me wonder how one manages to incorporate two distinct cultures into a single identity, especially with deep roots in both. Does the mysticism of life in Yogyakarta create disjoint with the rationalized life in Singapore, with its neatly-categorized races and religions? What determines the dominant culture one prefers? How might such constant mobility breed feelings of displacement and perhaps fracture one’s sense of self-identity? Furthermore, as embassy workers, how do they see themselves personally? They might be full-time representatives of Indonesia, or yet another anonymous immigrant, or integrated into society here and yet never able to fully embrace it. All in all, the visit was refreshing and challenged many of the expectations and misconceptions I had started out with. Although it would have been interesting to be able to explore other parts of the embassy, I am thankful still, for it being such a unique and thoughtful time.
4/23/2015 Many parts, one whole. Because we care.By: Khoo Yi Feng Edited by: Wee Min Er On 13 March 2015, many parts came together to form a whole, the Southeast Asian Studies Society’s annual event, the Southeast Asian (SEA) Night 2015. Associate Professor Itty Abraham kicked off the event by asking the audience to question Singapore’s position in the Southeast Asian region. This question is especially timely since Singapore is celebrating its 50th birthday. In this jubilee year, the society was truly blessed with the strong support from the folks at SG50 and NUS110 for the SEA Night 2015. How do you see Singapore contributing to and benefiting from this region? SEA Night 2015 came alive with Dr. Johnson Irving’s witty rendition of Nang Talung, a form of shadow puppetry popular in the Buddhist regions of Southern Thailand. Better known to students as Dr. J, the unorthodox, fun-loving, talented, creative and much loved SE1101E teacher added a contemporary twist. Amidst the traditional Thai music and dancing puppets, he injected jokes, peppering the dialogue with Singlish words and related the performance to the NUS context. It got the audience cracking up that set the tone for the night; it was a joyous and light-hearted night where our beloved lecturers, undergraduates and guests enjoyed the cultural feast. Moving from Southern Thailand to Indonesia, the NUS Singa Nglaras Gamelan Ensemble graced the stage. With melodious beats and three traditional tunes, Dr. Jan Mrazek and Mr. Thow Xin Wei led the gamelan team to deliver a musical feast for the ears. Gamelan originated from Java and Bali and is made up mainly of percussive instruments. Any SEAsian show will not be complete without a gamelan performance. Pak Jan (as he is more affectionately known as by students) impressed the crowd with his serious devotion to the art. Mr. Khaizuran Ahmad, the head of the Perguruan Seligi Tunggal Angkatan Singapura swooped into action next. Through the short 15 minutes stage time, he skillfully showcased the deadly but aesthetically refined Pencak Silat style of his school. Beginning with the demonstration of his trademark bunga-bunga, a set of movements, he opened the stage for his students, where Ms. Elina Lee demonstrated jurusan, another set of movements, before Di Di and Iryshed treated the audience to a visual feast of vigorous but carefully choreographed sparring. Just as we thought the exhilarating performance had winded to a satisfying close, a challenger appeared! Decked in Kendo armour, the Japanese samurai warrior, of the department's lecturer Dr. Effendy, stormed the stage to challenge Mr. Khaizuran, the Silat pendekar. A nail-biting battle ensued, neffendy-wrecking indeed! It ended in a draw between the two masters, suggesting that the duel might have "to be continued". Amidst the blood-curling kiai shouts and spectacular clashes, the audience was visibly enthralled. Some were even imitating the moves! After an intense clash between two titans, the Department of Southeast Asia (SEAD)’s very own band, Crossroads, took to the stage and enchanted the audience with tunes from different SEAsian countries! One key person that brought the band together is definitely Dr. Arafat. As the Student Advisor of the Society, he led by example in scouting performers, coordinating practices and realizing the dream of having a SEA band. From a Thai folk song, to Indonesian pop star Shae’s “Sayang”, to Singaporean Indie band Shirley Nair and the Unexpected’s “You’re the Boy”, the audience grooved to the songs. The backstage crew even lip-synched and danced heartily along to the tunes! The major requirement of learning a new Southeast Asian language definitely helped in making this possible. Such is truly the talent, versatility and diversity that SEA majors celebrate! Of course, any SEA night will not be complete without the beautiful ladies wearing the elegant Ao Dai from Vietnam! Blessed by the support by the Vietnamese Community in NUS (VNC NUS), the audience was treated to a Vietnamese special, the Non La Ao Dai Dance! It was an especially poignant moment since the Community was celebrating their 15th year anniversary. The dance transitions as the song, “Que Huong Ba Mien” by Quang Le, takes the audience from the North of Vietnam to the Central, then to the South. The song title signifies hometown in three regions, where the culture and accent changes as you would experience travelling through the country. As the night was less young, the NUS Malay Studies Society (MSS) brought the event to a gentler pace with a poetry recital from three prolific Malay writers from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, namely; Mohammed Latiff Mohammed, Usman Awang and W.S. Rendra. SEASS appreciate the steadfast support by MSS! The SEAD look forward to more collaboration so as to learn more about the region together! It was apt that SEA night ended with a poignant question of “What does Southeast Asian Studies mean to you?” posed to various parties by Graphics and Design Director Nadzirah Halim. She presented the responses in an entertaining video form. Through the video, the audience saw many parts come together to form one whole. While the SEAD's interests and intentions in studying this region may differ, one thing's for sure, we care about this region we call home. What about you? What does Southeast Asia mean to you? How can we contribute to the growth of this region? The society is very grateful to all who took time out of their busy schedules to join us at this event, and we hope to see more of you in our SEA night next year!
By: Tse Siang Lim It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 10 years ago, I started the first semester of my undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences here at NUS. I had always wanted to be an archaeologist since I was a kid, but archaeology is not offered as a major anywhere in Singapore; the closest proxies that I took among the list of first-year courses were three exposure modules - HY1101E: Asia and the Modern World, SC1101E: Making Sense of Society and SE1101E: Southeast Asia. A Changing Region. My training as a history major would eventually ground me in the skill of narration, while I was inducted on the importance of social theories in the understanding of human societies in my brief exposure to sociology; but it was my introduction (or rather, reintroduction as a Singaporean) to Southeast Asia that set me on the path to study the history and archaeology of this amazing region. SE1101E really piqued my interest to study more about Southeast Asia, a region which I (and many other Singaporeans of my generation) knew or understood very little about. Through the course, I learnt about and came to appreciate the multitude of ethnic and cultural diversity reflected in the art, archaeology and histories of Southeast Asia, as well as the complex cultural interactions within the region and with the rest of the world. The recurring emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to a wide variety of themes and ideas explored about the region opened my mind to new and exciting fields of study in academia. While the lectures stirred my increasing passion for the region, I was invigorated by the challenging discussions and engagements I had about various subjects in my tutorials with my tutor then, Dr Effendy, and my fellow classmates. This course prepared us for the academic rigor and expectations ahead as an undergraduate student, and in my case, postgraduate studies in the history and archaeology of Southeast Asia. This introductory, but fundamental course gave me the foundation to build upon a strong framework of analytical skills; skills which I’m still drawing upon as I embark on my PhD research in the archaeology of social complexity in Iron Age Cambodia and Mainland Southeast Asia. More importantly perhaps, as I look back into the journey that I’ve made, SE1101E reinforced my own identity as a member of this fascinating region – a Southeast Asian-Singaporean – an identity that I hold very close to my heart since I moved to Australia three years ago. This identity continues to fuel my passion in Southeast Asian history and archaeology and will continue to drive me on this path of discovery for – hopefully – many years to come. It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That step, for me, is definitely SE1101E. Lim Tse Siang
PhD Candidate School of Archaeology and Anthropology Research School of Humanities and the Arts College of Arts and Social Sciences The Australian National University |
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July 2015
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