Indonesian specialist breaks new ground with his latest book

Sep 02, 2005

The first Director of the new Centre for Media and Film Studies at the University's of London's School of Oriental and African Studies on 1 September officially launched the latest book, Journeys of desire: a study of the Balinese text of Malat, by UOW Indonesian specialist, Professor Adrian Vickers.

As well as his position as Centre Director, Dr Mark Hobart is also Head of the University of London's Postgraduate Media Program. He has spent more than eight years engaged in field research in Indonesia and since 1988 has concentrated on the study of non-western media, with special reference to Asia.

From the late 17th century until the Dutch conquest of the early 20th century, Bali was ruled by a set of competing kingdoms.

Professor Vickers' study of the Balinese text Kidung Malat is the first work in Indonesian historical studies to analyse the main ideology of these Balinese kingdoms. It does so by demonstrating how the performance and presentation of the text presented an image of the ideal prince to rulers and subjects.

The Kidung Malat exemplifies court ideology through its descriptions of the adventures of kings and princes from the era of the medieval kingdoms of East Java. It is one of the longest and most complex of a set of narratives called Panji stories, which originated in East Java and spread throughout Southeast Asia.

The book is also the first extensive historical analysis of a Panji story, combining textual analysis with the study of the gambuh dance-drama in which the Malat is performed. It compares these forms with paintings and other manifestations of the text.

Professor Vickers is Professor of Southeast Asian History with UOW's Faculty of Arts.

He is author of many works on Indonesian cultural history including Bali: A paradise created (Penguin Books, 1989).