Author: Adrian Vickers, 2012. 373pgs. (English). Softcover
Publisher: Komunitas Bambu, Depok, Jakarta
Long before its transformation into a global hub for digital nomads, luxury resorts, and mass tourism, Bali existed as a complex cultural tapestry woven from deeply spiritual polities, intricate artistic traditions, and colonial encounters. Renowned Australian historian and Indonesian‑studies specialist Adrian Vickers assumes the role of literary curator, assembling a remarkable anthology that spans more than four centuries of Balinese history. Through a carefully selected corpus of forty articles authored by forty‑six foreign observers and three Indonesian writers, Vickers reconstructs the island’s trajectory from its earliest European contact to the threshold of modern commercialism. The strength of this anthology lies in its methodological diversity. Rather than imposing a singular, linear historical narrative, the volume functions as a historiographic time machine, composed of diaries, essays, humorous anecdotes, and travelogues. The chronological documentation commences with François Valentijn’s account of Dutch arrivals in 1598, capturing the initial curiosity and geopolitical tensions of the era. It then traverses centuries of shifting dynamics, including the rare regional perspective of Raden Sasrawijaya, a Javanese aristocrat whose mid‑nineteenth‑century observations provide a non‑Western lens on Balinese society. Vickers further incorporates insights from influential cultural figures such as Miguel Covarrubias, whose mid‑twentieth‑century writings indelibly shaped Western imaginaries of Bali as an idyllic paradise. Yet the anthology does not evade the darker or more complex dimensions of Balinese history. It confronts colonial exploitation, internecine conflict, and the historical slave trade, ensuring that the paradise trope is consistently counterbalanced by rigorous historical contextualization. A central theme illuminated across the chapters is the profound synthesis of religion, art, and quotidian life in traditional Balinese society. The writings demonstrate that ritual performance and artistic expression were not peripheral diversions or commercialized pursuits, but essential duties designed to sustain cosmic equilibrium and invite divine presence into the material world. The anthology’s concluding sections address the late twentieth century, foregrounding the cultural anxieties and identity struggles articulated by Balinese writers as the island confronted the rapid incursions of globalization and mass tourism. This transition bridges the romanticized past with the hyper‑commercialized present, offering readers a nuanced appreciation of both cultural resilience and cultural loss. Bali Tempo Dulu emerges as an indispensable resource for historians, anthropologists, and all who have been captivated by the “Island of the Gods.” Adrian Vickers succeeds in producing a balanced, evocative, and deeply textured portrait of Bali—one that rescues its history from the reductive pages of tourist brochures and restores its vibrancy, complexity, and epistemological depth.
Author: Jean Couteau et al, 2008, 248pgs. (English). Softcover
Publisher: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, Jakarta
Bali Today 2: Love and Social Life, authored by the eminent French cultural scholar and art historian Dr. Jean Couteau, constitutes a sharp, engaging, and brilliantly analytical exploration of Balinese society from the ground up. This compact volume provides a vital counterbalance to the hyper-romanticized, postcard imagery that has long dominated representations of the “Island of the Gods.” Whereas Couteau’s earlier work concentrated on the initial frictions of cultural encounter and shock, Bali Today 2 directs its analytical lens toward the intricacies of courtship, love, communal customs, and the evolving structures of social institutions. Curated from Couteau’s long-running and cult-favorite contributions to the English Corner rubric of the Bali Post, the essays are distinguished by their capacity to combine ethnographic acuity with literary wit. The volume foregrounds the lived realities of Balinese social life, dismantling exoticized tropes and instead situating intimacy, community, and tradition within the broader dynamics of cultural transformation.
Author: Michael Picard, 2006. 352pgs. (Indonesian), Softcover
Publisher: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, Jakarta
This volume, authored by an anthropologist, constitutes a brilliant and incisive study of how tourism has shaped Balinese identity. It challenges prevailing anxieties that tourism inevitably erodes local traditions. Instead, Picard persuasively argues that tourism has played a formative role in both creating and preserving the modern conception of Balinese culture. Central to his analysis is the conceptual shift from Pariwisata Budaya (cultural tourism, wherein tourism serves culture) to Budaya Pariwisata (the culture of tourism, wherein culture is reshaped to meet the demands of tourism). While many fear that international tourism will overwhelm and diminish Balinese values, Picard demonstrates that such apprehensions are misleading. Balinese communities actively mobilize their cultural heritage as a means of self-representation, transforming tradition into a dynamic symbol of identity. The book meticulously details how regional actors, national policies, and foreign visitors negotiate the contested meaning of “authentic” Balinese culture. One of its notable strengths lies in the provision of deep historical context, beginning with the Dutch colonial era. Written with sharp sociological insight, the text remains rigorously analytical while reframing commercialization not merely as cultural loss but as a mode of active adaptation. Nevertheless, the density of its academic language may render certain sections challenging for casual readers. The volume also privileges policy and historical analysis over narrative accounts of quotidian life. Yet, its overarching contribution is profound: it teaches us that culture is not a fragile museum artifact but a living, adaptive system that evolves through encounters with the wider world.
Author: I Made Bandem & Frederick Eugene de Boer, 1995. 162pgs. (English). Hardcover
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
This volume offers a substantive exploration of the history, classification, and evolution of Balinese dance, articulated through the cosmological axis of kaja (orientation toward the sacred mountain) and kelod (orientation toward the sea). The work synthesizes the profound cultural insights of I Made Bandem—a master dancer and scholar—with de Boer’s academic theatre perspective, thereby bridging indigenous epistemologies with comparative performance studies. The text systematically categorizes dances across ritual and secular domains, ranging from sacred temple performances (wali and bebali) to entertainment genres (balih‑balih). Within this framework, wali dances are contextualized as offerings to the divine, performed in the innermost sanctum of the temple to sustain cosmic balance. Bebali dances, situated in the middle courtyard, mediate between ritual solemnity and communal participation, while balih‑balih dances, staged in outer courtyards or public spaces, embody social festivity and artistic display. This tripartite classification underscores the ritual architecture of Balinese performance, where spatial orientation and ceremonial function are inseparable from aesthetic form. The volume further documents the adaptive resilience of these traditions in response to tourism, modernization, and shifting communal needs, while emphasizing the preservation of their spiritual core. Dance is shown not merely as spectacle but as a ritualized enactment of cosmology, reinforcing the Balinese principle of Tri Hita Karana—the harmonization of humanity, nature, and the divine. For practitioners seeking exhaustive choreographic notation or step‑by‑step instruction, the genre‑by‑genre descriptions may appear broad rather than microscopic. Academic readers occasionally note the absence of a detailed index for cross‑referencing minor terms. Nevertheless, performing artists widely commend the book as a beautifully illustrated guide that balances rigorous ethnomusicological analysis with accessible historical narrative. Ultimately, the volume constitutes a vital resource for students of anthropology, theatre, and Southeast Asian arts, situating Balinese dance within its ritual, aesthetic, and socio‑cultural continuum. By foregrounding the ceremonial functions of dance, it illuminates performance as both sacred offering and cultural expression, integral to the lived religious and communal identity of Bali.
Author: I Wayan Dibya & Rucina Ballinger,2004. 112pgs. (English), Hardcover
Publisher: Periplus, Singapore
This volume emerges as an accessible yet meticulously crafted gateway into the intricate world of Balinese performance traditions. It constitutes an indispensable resource for both first‑time visitors and advanced students of ethnomusicology and dance ethnology. Rather than isolating the arts as autonomous aesthetic practices, the authors anchor their analysis within the spiritual and communal fabric of Balinese society, emphasizing how performance is inseparable from religious tenets and temple functions. The text thoroughly delineates the traditional modes of transmission, illustrating how complex choreographies and rhythmic structures are acquired through mimicry, communal participation, and formal instruction within the village milieu. Dibya and Ballinger systematically unpack a wide spectrum of genres, providing lucid historical accounts and analytical breakdowns of the gamelan orchestra. Distinct ensembles such as the Gong Angklung and Gong Kebyar are explored in detail, alongside classical and ritual dances. The authors highlight the strict nonverbal cues, intricate finger extensions, and mythic gravitas embedded in forms such as the Legong Keraton and the martial Baris dance. Equally significant is their treatment of Wayang Kulit, the shadow‑puppetry tradition that functions as a vehicle for transmitting historical narratives and moral values. The study also attends to the evolving landscape of Balinese performance, documenting the emergence of all‑women’s gamelan troupes and innovative dance dramas that reflect contemporary social transformations. One of the most lauded aspects of the volume lies in its production quality. Featuring over 150 specially commissioned watercolors complemented by vibrant photographs, the book enables readers to visually apprehend ornate costumes, jewel‑laden headdresses, and distinctive instruments. This visual dimension transforms what might otherwise be a dense academic treatise into a stunningly engaging experience, bridging scholarly rigor with aesthetic immediacy. The work is celebrated for bridging the insider expertise of Dr. Wayan Dibya with Ballinger’s accessible pedagogical narrative style. Minor drawbacks noted by reviewers include the absence of an index, which complicates rapid consultation of specific topics or localized terminology, and a handful of typographical errors in character classification—for instance, the mislabeling of the refined male figure Mantri Manis as the female Putri Manis. These technical lapses, however, scarcely diminish the overall reliability and scholarly value of the text. Ultimately, the volume succeeds in harmonizing ethnographic depth with pedagogical clarity, positioning itself as both a cultural introduction and a serious academic contribution to the study of Balinese performing arts.
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