Ramayana Theater in Contemporary Southeast Asia

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, performing arts, fine arts, and films.

This book showcases Ramayana theater as a platform where the multiple meanings and senses of values are negotiated. It focuses on the relationships between the cultural representation and the various meanings of Ramayana theater, as well as other dramatic art forms. Focusing on the various contemporary contexts of art performance where the epic poem has been represented, the book also presents the ideologies and moral values contained in the theatrical forms of the epic poem. It discusses various performance contexts, such as tourism, diaspora communities, production of popular content culture, cultural diplomacy, designation as intangible cultural heritage, transmission, and the representation/exhibition of culture, as well as the performance in rituals.

The book examines the imagery of the hero's character applied in Thai content culture; the moral values indicated in the popular episodes of Ramayana in Balinese shadow puppetry; the current situation of Ramayana arts in Cambodia; the fluctuating interpretation and acceptance of creative art works based on Ramayana among the Indian diaspora in Singapore; the representations of Ramayana theater in tourism culture in Java; the history of representation and intellectuals' perception of the Thai masked dance drama, khon; and an on-going museum exhibition in Japan. It also includes two artworks by Indonesian cross-gender dancer Didik Nini Thowok and Indonesian animator (dalang) Nanang Ananto Wicaksono.