Parallel Session 1: [Roundtable] Ecologies in Motion: Spiritual and Artistic Perspectives from Sumatra and Java

The eruption of Krakatoa in 1883; the Indian Ocean catastrophic earthquake in 2004; flash floods and landslides in West Sumatra just last year. These crises illustrate only a few of the environmental challenges facing maritime Asia, and those who call Indonesia home are particularly attuned to the intertwined relationship between human society and the natural world. Through a multitude of environmental practices, Indonesia complicates assumptions around humans and their environments, particularly with respect to the more-than-human world. This roundtable brings together a range of topics, lenses, and methodologies, all of which address the articulation and turbulence of human spiritualities in relation to a rapidly deteriorating environment. Anthropologists Romadhon and Amri will discuss issues related to Indigenous Mentawai traditions and Muslim youth environmental activism, respectively. Romadhon’s research addresses the complications of maintaining tree honoring practices in the face of increasing deforestation pressures in the Mentawai islands of West Sumatra, while Amri’s project centers youth digital environmentalism in response to the involvement of Muslim organizations, such as Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, in mineral resource management, as seen recently with coal. Bruhn, a scholar of Indonesian modern and contemporary art, explores Minangkabau visual artists and their relationship to alam. She asks how alam has shaped a distinctive understanding of sustainability in the work of specific Minangkabau contemporary artists, and she brings into consideration recent art historical discussions on indigeneity and eco-critical art practices. Performance historian Chaterji considers the impact of environmental uncertainties on the livelihood and creative practice of Islamic performing artists in West Sumatra and Riau. Understanding that existential questions about the environment are inseparable from performance, she approaches the arts as a critical juncture in seeking justice when other avenues (i.e. legal, global, economic) remain elusive. In this roundtable session, the panelists gather to share their research questions and to discuss possible points of connection and departure.