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Constructing Gender in Sundanese Music

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 March 2019

Sean Williams
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Extract

The 35 million Sundanese of West Java are known in Indonesia for their sense of humor, the conservatism of their Muslim religious practices, the sadness of their music, and their relatively relaxed codes of behavior that allow for raucous laughter, broad physicality in musical performance, and strong innuendo in song lyrics (Williams 1993). The Sundanese also have well-established performing arts specific to the area, as well as a specific set of gender-based conventions in organizing their living arrangements. Although the links between gender, spirituality, home life, humor, and music may not seem readily apparent, the bridges between them become clearly demarcated through an examination of the ways in which physical and musical domains are divided along gender boundaries. In this article I examine some of the multiple domains of Sundanese men and women, not only within the boundaries of their homes but also on performing stages and within musical repertoires, revealing the tensions between the sexes and highlighting the areas in which men and women can meet and communicate both socially and musically.

Type
Articles
Information
Yearbook for Traditional Music , Volume 30 , 1998 , pp. 74 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 by the International Council for Traditional Music

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References

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