1st Edition

Ramayana Theater in Contemporary Southeast Asia

By Madoka Fukuoka Copyright 2023
258 Pages 42 Color & 1 B/W Illustrations
by Jenny Stanford Publishing

258 Pages 42 Color & 1 B/W Illustrations
by Jenny Stanford Publishing

The ancient Indian epic poem Ramayana has been disseminated throughout large tracts of Southeast Asia since the 9th century. Versions of the epic poem have come to adopt and reflect the unique characteristics of the countries and regions where it has gained cultural currency. The epic has been a source of popular themes in both traditional and contemporary art forms, including literature,... Read more

1. Introduction: Multiple Meanings of Ramayana Theater in Contemporary Southeast Asia
Madoka Fukuoka

Part I Multiple Interpretations of Ramayana
2. The Modern Development of Ramakian, the Thai Ramayana, as Seen in Films by Chaiyo Studio
Hideki Hiramatshu

3. Death of Kumbhakarna: Interpretation of the Story by Dalang of Balinese Wayang
Hideharu Umeda

4. Ramayana Theater in Cambodia
Sam-Ang Sam

Part II Diversified Performance Contexts
5. Ramayana in the Performing Arts: Connection with the Government and Local/National/Global Indian Identity in Singapore
Yoshiaki Takemura

6. Ramayana Theater in Tourism Culture: The Story Presented in the Javanese Dance Drama Form, Sendratari
Madoka Fukuoka

Part III Represented Ramayana
7. A History of Thai Intellectuals’ Perceptions of Khon, the Masked Dance of Ramayana, on the Modern World Stage
Shinsuke Hinata

8. Exhibiting Ramayana in a Japanese Museum: Activities of National Museum of Ethnology, Japan
Fukuoka Shota

Part IV Commissioned Art Works
9. Art Works
Madoka Fukuoka

Biography

Madoka Fukuoka is a professor of cultural anthropology at the Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Japan. She completed her BA from Tokyo University of the Arts; MA from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo; and PhD from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Japan. She is a member of the Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology, Japan Popular Music Society, International Council for Traditional Music, Society for Ethnomusicology, and Southeast Asian Society. Her research areas include cultural anthropology and folklore, gender studies, philosophy and ethics, aesthetics, and art studies.