This course is aimed at introducing the students to methods and issues in the study of Southeast Asian performance arts and a representative sample of Southeast Asian performance genres, as well as cultural aesthetics that inform them.  The genres, which will include “folk/popular,” “classical/traditional,” and “modern/contemporary” traditions, will be examined.  Emphasis is on understanding each genre in its changing socio-cultural contexts, its aesthetic principles, the articulation of the past with the present, and the “amalgamation” between Asian and western traditions. 

Case studies and ‘experiences’ of attending or performing particular genres in the performance laboratory will be discussed and analysed in the context of intercultural translation. This will include issues such as: What is ‘performance’? How do we read, understand and experience performances from other cultures? How do we translate performances? What are issues of inter-cultural performance? The semester will conclude with a public performance by students based on their work in the performance laboratory.

By the end of the semester, students are expected to be able to

(a) recognise and explain the aesthetic, cultural and historical significance of the selected genres of performance arts in Southeast Asia.

(b) write a non-specialist, but analytical essay or ethnographic report on one aspect of performance arts in Southeast Asia;

Take-home exam 1,500 words (25%),

Ethnographic report 2,500 words (30%),

Laboratory class performance (30%),

Class participation & tutorial presentation (15%).

Indonesian 2B (INDN2003 OR SEAI2003) OR Indonesian 2B: In-Country (INDN2006)

Available through the Southeast Asia Centre