Richard Fox
Professor & Chair
Department of Pacific and Asian Studies
University of Victoria
Employment
Professor & Chair of Pacific and Asian Studies
University of Victoria, Canada, 2018 – present
Privatdozent
SFB 933 / Institut für Ethnologie
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany. 2018
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter / Habilitand
SFB 933 / Institut für Ethnologie
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany. 2012-18
Research Associate
Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, 2011-12
Fulbright Senior Scholar, Indonesia
Universitas Udayana (Indonesia) & University of Chicago, 2010-2011
Assistant Professor of the History of Religions
University of Chicago Divinity School, 2006-2010
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Religion, with co-appointment in Asian Studies
Williams College, 2004-2006
Postdoctoral Research Affiliate
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Harvard University, 2003-04
QUALIFICATIONS
Habilitation in Anthropology (German qualification for Full Professor), Institüt für Ethnologie, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Areas of certification: Religions & Cultures of Southeast Asia; Critical Theories of Culture & Society, 2018
PhD in Religious Studies & Anthropology, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Dissertation: From Text to Television: Mediating Religion in Contemporary Bali, 2002
MA with Distinction in Oriental and African Religions, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Thesis: Gotama, Buddha and Tathāgata: Three Facets of the Identity of Sakyamuni Buddha, Exams: Sanskrit Language, Buddhist Studies, Indian Philosophy, 1995
BA in Religious Studies w/ High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, University of California at Santa Barbara, Honors Thesis: An Ethnographic Study of Religious Practice in a Rural Balinese Village, 1994
Positions of Leadership
Chair of Department
Department of Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Victoria (2018-present).
Chair
Southeast Asia Council, Association for Asian Studies (2020-2022).
Member, Board of Directors
Association for Asian Studies (2020-2022).
Chair
Luce-funded Timor-Leste Studies Initiative, Association for Asian Studies (2016-present).
Chair
Indonesia and Timor Leste Studies Committee, Association for Asian Studies (2015-18).
Co-chair
Religion in Southeast Asia Unit, American Academy of Religion (2014-18).
Founding Editor
Heidelberg Ethnology (link), peer-reviewed occasional papers series (2014-18).
Primary Teaching Areas
The following are primary areas of teaching and examining for both undergraduate and graduate students; course descriptions and sample syllabi are available online at https://berubah.org/teaching/
Asian cultural, media and film studies
Critical issues in language, text and translation
Classical and contemporary theories of culture and society
Hindu and Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia
Islam and popular culture in Southeast Asia
Religion, gender and power
PUBLICATIONS
Books, Edited Volumes and Special Issues in Print and in Press
2020 Pop Culture as Argument and Aspiration. Special issue of the journal, Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 176(1).
2019 Highlighting Timor-Leste Studies. Special issue of Indonesia. 107. Edited with David Webster.
2018 More Than Words: Transforming Script, Agency and Collective Life in Bali. Single-authored book. Cornell University Press.
2016 The Materiality and Efficacy of Balinese Letters: Situating Scriptural Practice. Edited with Annette Hornbacher. Leiden: Brill.
2011 Critical Reflections on Religion and Media in Contemporary Bali. Single-authored book with accompanying DVD. Numen Book Series: Studies in the History of Religions, 130. Leiden: Brill.
2008 Entertainment Media in Indonesia. Edited with Mark Hobart. New York & London: Routledge.
2006 Special issue of the Asian Journal of Communication. Edited with Mark Hobart.
Articles, Chapters and Reviews in Print
2020 ‘Introduction, Pop Culture as Argument and Aspiration.’ Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 176(1): 1-5.
2020 ‘Screening Piety, Class and Romance in Indonesia: Scenes from an Argument Already Well Underway’. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 176(1): 70-104.
2019 (with David Webster) ‘Highlighting Timor-Leste Studies’. Indonesia. 107: 1-2.
2017 ‘The Imitation of Life: First Reflections on Justin McDaniel’s Architects of Buddhist Leisure’. Heidelberg Ethnology. 5: 13-6.
2017 ‘Religion, Media and Cultural Studies’. In King, R. (ed.) Religion, Theory, Critique: Classic and Contemporary Approaches and Methodologies. New York: Columbia University Press. Pages 335-47.
2017 ‘Histoires des lettres et de leur peuple’. Le Banian. June, No.23: 38-55.
2017 ‘Of Family, Futures and Fear in a Balinese Ward: Some Preliminary Thoughts Toward a New Project’. Jurnal Kajian Bali. 7(1): 213-48.
2016 ’The Meaning of Life… or, How to Do Things with Letters’ In: Fox & Hornbacher (eds.) as above.
2016 ’Postscript’ In: Fox & Hornbacher (eds.) as above.
2015 ‘Why Do Balinese Make Offerings? On Religion, Teleology and Complexity’. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 171(1): 29-55.
2015 ‘Affordanz’ (with Panagiotopoulos, D. & C. Tsouparopoulou). In Ott, M.R., R. Sauer & T. Meier (eds.) Materiale Textkulturen. Konzepte – Materialien – Praktiken. Berlin etc: de Gruyter.
2013 ‘Om Swasty-Alaikum… Interpreting Religio-Ethnic Humor on the Balinese Stage’. Archipel: Études interdisciplinarires sur le monde insulindien. 86(2): 43-72.
2013 Entry for ‘Indonesian Hinduism’. Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Leiden: Brill.
2013 Review of Jerryson, M.K. (2011) Buddhist Fury: Religion and Violence in Southern Thailand. Oxford: OUP. For The Journal of Religion. 93(3): 409-410.
2012 ‘Ngelidin Sétra, Nepukin Sema? Thoughts on Language and Writing in Contemporary Bali’. Jurnal Kajian Bali. 2(2): 21-48.
2011 ‘Getting the Story Straight? Some Untimely Thoughts on History, Literature and the Performing Arts in Bali’. Article invited for inaugural issue of Jurnal Kajian Bali. 1(1): 27-57.
2010 ‘Why Media Matter: Religion and the Recent History of “the Balinese”’. History of Religions. 41(4): 354-92.
2009 ‘Booknote’ on Reichle, N. (2007) Violence and Serenity: Late Buddhist Sculpture from Indonesia. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. Religious Studies Review. 35(4): 311.
2009 ‘Religion, Media and Cultural Studies’ Pre-publication draft of contribution to Theory/Critique/Religion; published to the Martin Marty Center’s Religion and Culture Web Forum.
2008 ‘Afterword’. Entertainment Media in Indonesia. Edited with Mark Hobart. New York and London: Routledge. (Reprinted from Asian Journal of Communication. 16(4): 432-8).
2007 ‘Visions of Terror: On the Use of Images in Mass-Mediated Representations of the 2002 Bali Bombings’. In Media and Political Violence. Annabelle Sreberny et al. (eds.) Cresskill: Hampton Press. Pp. 211-45. 2007.
2006 ‘Strong and Weak Media? On the Representation of ‘Terorisme’ in Contemporary Indonesia’. Modern Asian Studies. 40(4): 993-1052.
2005 ‘Plus ça change… Recent Developments in Old Javanese Studies and Their Implications for the Study of Religion in Contemporary Bali’. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 161(1): 63-97.
2003 ‘Substantial Transmissions: A Presuppositional Analysis of “The Old Javanese Text” as an Object of Knowledge, and Its Implications for the Study of Religion in Bali’. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 159/1 (2003): 65-107.
1999 Review of: Schober, J. (ed.) Sacred Biography in the Buddhist Traditions of South and Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press (1997). Reviewed in The Middle Way, 73/4 (1999): 245-6.
1996 Review of: Powers, J. Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Snow Lion (1995). Reviewed in The Middle Way. 71/2 (1996): 125-7.
Grants, Scholarly Recognition and Awards
Two-year grant ($24,000) secured for the Indonesia and Timor-Leste Studies Committee, from the Henry Luce Foundation, in support of the Timor-Leste Studies Initiative at the Association for Asian Studies. 2017-2018.
Four-year research appointment for religious uses of script and writing in Java. Funded by the Sonderforschungsbereich 933: Materiale Textkulturen; Materialität und Präsenz des Geschriebenen in non-typographischen Gesellschaften. July 2015 – June 2019.
Two-year research appointment for project entitled Living Spaces: Transforming Buildings and Bodies in Contemporary Bali. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Declined.
Three-year research appointment for project on religious uses of script and writing in contemporary Bali. Funded by the Sonderforschungsbereich 933: Materiale Textkulturen; Materialität und Präsenz des Geschriebenen in non-typographischen Gesellschaften. April 2012 – July 2015.
Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, for a ten-month ethnographic research project in Bali, Indonesia. Project title: Practices Unseen: A Traditional Practice in the Contemporary World. Sept. 2010 – July 2011.
Innovative Course Design Award in Gender and Sexuality Studies; Center for Gender Studies, University of Chicago, 2007-08. Course: Religion, Gender and the Idea of Power.
Nine months’ field research in Bali, Indonesia; funded by Research Leave Award from the University of Chicago Divinity School (Sept. 2006 – March 2007; July-August 2007; December 2008).
Secured full funding from several sources (see below) for a series of seminars, lectures and performances at Williams College entitled Power and Performance: Theatrical Bodies and Persons in Contemporary Bali. 2006.
Secured full funding from several sources (see below) for a series of seminars, lectures and performances at Williams College entitled Performance, Aesthetics, Critique: Balinese Theatre and Dance in the 21st Century. 2005.
Secured ‘Travel assistance for Asian scholars of Asia’ grant for Dr Faruk ht to act as discussant at panel on ‘Élites, media and the masses’ (AAS; see below). 2004.
Doctoral Research Grant from the Sutasoma Trust. School of Oriental and African Studies (London).
Travel Grant for attending Media, Practice, Antagonisms conference in Singapore. School of Oriental and African Studies (London), 1999.
Research Grant for continued ethnographic work in Indonesia. Jordan Bequest. School of Oriental and African Studies (London), 1998.
Additional Fieldwork Award for ethnographic research in Indonesia. School of Oriental and African Studies (London). 1996.
Phi Beta Kappa Society. Lambda of California Chapter. Univ. of California at Santa Barbara. 1994.
Raimundo Panikkar Award in the Comparative Study of Religions. Department of Religious Studies. University of California at Santa Barbara. 1994.
Dean’s honors. University of California at Santa Barbara. 1992-94.
Learned Societies and Other Professional Affiliations
Association of Asian Studies (AAS)
American Academy of Religion (AAR)
American Anthropological Association (AAA)
Society for the Anthropology of Religion (SAR)
Academic Service and Administrative Experience
Chair of Pacific & Asian Studies’ Curriculum Committee; Chair of Committee for Appointment, Reappointment, Tenure & Promotion; Chair of search committees for Assistant Teaching Professors in Chinese and Japanese language; member of search committee for Faculty of Humanities’ Associate Dean of Research; (University of Victoria, 2018-19).
Peer reviewing for: Indonesia & the Malay World; Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde; Journal of the American Academy of Religion; History of Religions; Journal of Religion; American Ethnologist; Asian Journal of Communication; Brill, Asian Studies List; Edinburgh University Press; Practical Matters; Sophia; Lawrence King Publishing, Humanities & Religion list.
Editorial board member, Jurnal Kajian Bali (March 2019-present).
Steering Committee member, Centre for Pacific-Asia Initiatives (CAPI), University of Victoria (2019-present)
Elected member of the Southeast Asia Council, Association for Asian Studies (2019-22).
Tenure committee reviewer. Dept of Religious Studies, Univ. of California at Riverside (2013-14).
Advisory board member, International conference on “Empowerment and Preservation of Local Languages.” Bali, Indonesia (23-4 February 2018).
Planning committee member for new university-wide ‘excellence initiative’ entitled Humanities in a New Key: Engaging Fragility and Persistence in Interconnected Lifeworlds. Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (June 2016-present).
Founder and Administrator of Kawi in the World, a Facebook discussion group (150 members) devoted to the discussion of Old and ‘Middle’ Javanese language and literature.
Co-organizer for Old Javanese Summer School Program, University of Heidelberg (2013 & 2014).
Founding Editor, Heidelberg Ethnology. A peer-reviewed occasional paper series published by the Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg. http://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/hdethn
Co-chair, Religion and Southeast Asia Group, AAR: 2014 – 18. (On steering committee since 2011.)
Chair, Indonesian and Timor Leste Studies Committee, AAS: 2015 – 18.
Member, executive board, Indonesian and Timor Leste Studies Committee, AAS: 2006-present.
Member, Internal Committee reporting on the annual conference of the Asia and Europe in a Global Context ‘Cluster of Excellence’, Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg. Nov., 2012.
Academic Policy Committee, University of Chicago Divinity School, 2008-2010.
Undergraduate Studies Committee, University of Chicago Divinity School, 2009-2010.
Affiliate, Center for Gender Studies, University of Chicago. 2008-2010.
Member, Committee on Southern Asian Studies (COSAS), University of Chicago. 2006-2010.
Deputy Director (2001-2011) and Archivist (2000-01), Balinese and Javanese Research Archive.
Founding Chair, Indonesian and East Timor Studies Paper Prize Committee (AAS), 2009-10.
Project Supervisor, MA Program in the Social Sciences, University of Chicago, 2007-08.
Member, Consultative Group on Performance Studies, Williams College, 2005-06.
Proof-reading, editorial work and Colloquium Chair for The Buddhist Forum, The Buddhist Heritage and Buddhica Brittanica, ed. T. Skorupski. 1995-96; 2001-02.
Research Associate, Asian Media Project. SOAS (London), Univ. of Chicago, Nanyang Technological Univ. (Singapore) and Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia, Denpasar. 1999-2001.
Member, Media Research Group. SOAS, University of London.
Founding Member and Co-organizer, Derby Deliberations group for the discussion of theory and method in the study of religion. University of Derby, UK. 1998-2000.
Co-founder and co-convener (1997-98) & Convener (1998-99), Interdisciplinary Research Workshops on Religion and Media. Media Research Group and Dept of the Study of Religions, SOAS.
Research and Production Assistant, The Balinese Historical and Instructional Study Materials Archive (BHISMA), SOAS, University of London and Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia, Denpasar, Bali. 1997-99.
Papers Delivered at Conferences and Colloquia
‘The Girl With Two Souls: On the Indeterminacy of Translation in Bali and Beyond’. Annual Meetings, American Academy of Religion. San Antonio, TX. November 2016.
Discussant for roundtable on Justin McDaniel’s Architects of Buddhist Leisure. Annual Meetings, American Academy of Religion. San Antonio, TX. November 2016.
‘Family, Futures and Fear in a Balinese Ward; Preliminary Thoughts Toward a New Project’. Symposium on How Indonesians Argue, Oxford. June 2016.
‘Tradition as Argument: Paratactic Reasoning, Total Crisis and the Failure of Critique in Contemporary Bali’. Symposium on How Indonesians Argue, Oxford. June 2015.
‘Reasoning About the Good Life Adrift in a Sea of Islam, or An Indonesian Muslim in the Hindu-Balinese Polis’. Association of Asian Studies Conference. Philadelphia. March 2014.
‘The Meaning of Life, or How to Do Things with Letters’. Paper to the conference on The Materiality and Efficacy of Aksara: Situating Balinese Scriptural Practice, sponsored by the SFB 933 on Material Text Culture, and hosted by the Institut für Ethnologie, Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg (Jan 30 – Feb 2, 2014).
‘Balinese Religion… What is the Point? On History, Complexity and Teleology.’ Institutskolloquium, Institut für Ethnologie, Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg. January 22. 2013.
‘Of Media and Morality: Rival Styles of Writing, Rival Styles of Practical Reasoning’. American Academy of Religions Conference. Chicago, IL. November 2012.
‘The Idea of Balinese Tradition: Three Rival Versions of Historical Inquiry’. Conference on Bali in Global Asia: Between Modernization and Heritage Formation. Denpasar, Indonesia. July, 2012.
‘Om Swasty-Alaikum… Interpreting Religio-Ethnic Humor on the Balinese Stage’. Association of Asian Studies Conference. Toronto. March 2012.
‘All the Better to Govern You: Domestic Rites, Capitalism and the Changing Family in a Southern Balinese Community’. American Academy of Religions Conference. San Francisco, CA. Nov, 2011.
‘The Agamic Function: Hinduism, Television and Performance in Late New Order Indonesia’. American Academy of Religions Conference. Chicago, IL. November 2008.
‘Mediating Security: Religion-Related Violence and the Islamic Press in Indonesia’. Luce Symposium on Religion and Human Security. Seattle, WA. May 2008.
‘Of Ajeg and Agama: Accounting for Religious Heterogeneity in Contemporary Bali’. European Society of Southeast Asian Studies Conference. Naples, Italy. September 2007.
‘Not a Question of Balance: Some Preliminary Remarks on Space, Time and Agency in Balinese Topeng Pajegan.’ European Society of Southeast Asian Studies Conference. Naples, Italy. Sept. 2007.
‘See It Live! Televised Trials, Rehearsed Reenactment and the Advertised Performance of Terrorism’. Association for Asian Studies Conference. Chicago, IL. April 2005.
‘Strong and Weak Media? On the Articulation of Religion and “Terorisme” in the Indonesian Press’. Association for Asian Studies Conference. San Diego, CA. March, 2004.
‘From Chaos to Coherence? Critical Comments on Media Coverage of the October 12th bombing in Bali’. 3rd International Convention of Asia Scholars, National University of Singapore. August 2003.
‘Visions of Terror: Critical Remarks on Mass Mediated Images of the October 12th Bombings in Bali’. Center for Southeast Asian Studies Conference on Sectarian Violence in Eastern Indonesia: Causes and Consequences. University of Hawaii at Manoa, HI. May 2003.
‘Subjected to Tolerance: The Televised Articulation of Hindu Subjects in Late New Order Indonesia’. Society for the Anthropology of Religion Conference. Providence, RI. April 2003.
‘Para Pemirsa yang Berbahagia: Mediating “The Dharma Community” in New Order Indonesia’. British Association for the Study of Religions Conference. Cambridge, UK. September 2001.
‘Forget the Appearances: Some Thoughts from a Copernican in TV Land’. 18th Quinquennial Congress, International Association for the History of Religions. Durban, South Africa. August 2000.
Discussant, ‘Media Representations of Religion or Religion Re-presented’. Conference on Religion and Media in Nigeria, sponsored by the University of Birmingham and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. February 2000.
‘electronic medi(t)ations: the_religious_subject@indonesia.net’. Conference on Media, Practice, Antagonisms: Rethinking the role of mass communication researchers in Asia. Sponsored by AMIC-SCS-SOAS. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. June 1999.
‘Mediating the Text: A Critical Approach to Textual Practices’. Colloquium on Textual Practices. Derby Deliberations, University of Derby, UK. January, 1999.
‘Online Antagonisms?: Some Implications of Ernesto Laclau’s Recent Work for the Study of Religion and Mass Media’. Reply to Media Research Workshop seminar presentation by Professor Ernesto Laclau. School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. November 1998.
‘Are the Masses Really Silent? Some Remarks on the Potential of Audience Commentary for a Critique of Eurocentrism in Cultural and Media Studies’. Second Annual Conference of the Pacific Asian Cultural Studies Forum. Goldsmiths College, University of London. June 1998.
‘Unifying Diversity? Some Remarks on Religion, Media and Commentary in Contemporary Bali’. Religion and Media Research Workshop, SOAS, University of London. March 1998.
‘How to Do Things with Texts: Taking Austin to Bali’. Religious Studies Methodology Conference, University of Wolverhampton, UK. November 1997.
‘Kakawin Sutasoma: Balinese Interpretations of an Old Javanese Buddhistic text’. Delivered in September. Annual Conference, British Assoc. for the Study of Religions. Oxford, UK. Sept. 1997.
Invited Talks and Lectures
Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Gajah Mada (Yogyakarta, Indonesia); December, 2016; ‘Aksara Bali: Beberapa Tinjauan Tentang Konsep “Kehidupan”’. (‘Balinese Letters: Some Observations Concerning the Idea of “Life”’.)
Center for Southeast Asian Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London, UK); November 2016 (forthcoming); ‘On the Importance of Being Indeterminate, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Translation’.
Ambassade d’Indonésie (Paris, France); October 2016; ‘Sens dessus dessous: Un monde désaxé’.
Centre national de la recherche scientifique (Paris, France); June 2016. ‘Etymology is Not Destiny: Moments of Translational Indeterminacy on an Indonesian Island’.
Soka University (California, USA); April 2016. ‘How to Have Your Soul and Eat It Too: Translating Agency and Polity in Contemporary Bali’.
Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria (Canada), April 2016; ‘The Girl with Two Souls: On the Very Idea of a Translation Manual‘.
Department of Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. July 24, 2014; ‘Thinking About Religion, Media and“Social Change” in Contemporary Bali’.
Kate Hamburger Kolleg, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Oct 21-22, 2013; ‘Capitalizing on the Family: Domestic Rites and New Forms of Solidarity in Contemporary Bali’. Paper invited for Rethinking Religion and Globalization: A Cross-Disciplinary Conversation.
Council for Southeast Asia Studies, Yale University. January, 2012; ‘Why do Balinese Make Offerings? Some Thoughts on History and Complexity.’
Keynote speaker, GEOKS Center for Performing Arts, 6th Anniversary Conference. Singapadu, Bali. 21 December 2010; ‘Televisi, Kebudayaan dan Modal: Seni Pertunjukan Bali Kini’. (Television, Culture and Capital: Bali’s Performing Arts Today’.
GEOKS Center for Performing Arts. Singapadu, Bali. December 2008; ‘Pertunjukan dan Penafsiran: Tinjauan Kritis Mengenai Konsep Kekuasaan dalam Topeng Pajegan’. (Performance and Interpretation: Critical Observations Regarding the Concept of Power in Topeng Pajegan.)
Udayana University. Denpasar, Bali. February 2007; ‘Identitas dan Perubahan: Konsep Agama Hindu Pasca Pengeboman’. (Identity and Change: The Concept of Hinduism After the Bombing.)
School for International Training, Péjéng, Bali. October, 2006; ‘Ajeg, Agama and Articulation: Of Religion and Politics in Post-Bomb Bali.‘
Archival Division, Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI, Indonesian Institute of Sciences). Jakarta, Indonesia. February 2004; ‘Sejarah, Perbedaan dan Perubahan: Sebuah Perspektif Kritis Terhadap Pentingnya Mengelola Arsip’. (History, Difference and Change: A Critical Perspective on the Importance of Maintaining Archives.)
Archival Division, LIPI. Jakarta, Indonesia. August 2003; ‘Diseminasi: Peran Arsip dan Pusat Informasi dalam Penanganan Konflik di Indonesia’. (Dissemination: The Role of Archives and Information Centers in Handling Conflict in Indonesia.)
Pusat Studi Kebudayaan (Center for Cultural Studies), Gajah Mada University. Yogyakarta, Indonesia. August 2003; ’Penglihatan, Kehadiran dan Kekerasan: Sebuah Penelitian Kritis Mengenai Representasi Media Massa Terhadap Agama di Jaman ‘Perang Melawan Terorisme’. (Vision, Presence and Violence: A Critical Examination of Mass-Mediated Representations of Religion in the Era of ‘The War on Terror”.)
Department of Religion, Yale University. New Haven, Connecticut. April 2001; ‘Mediating Religion: Indonesian Television and the Dissemination of Agama Hindu’.
Kings College, University of London. 1998; ‘Literature and Religion in Bali’.
Udayana University. Denpasar, Bali. 1996; ‘Pariwisata dan Pembangunan di Bali Modéren’. (Tourism and Development in modern Bali). Fakultas Sastra (Faculty of Letters).
California State Univ. at Long Beach. 1995; ‘An Introduction to Hinduism in Indonesia’. 3 lectures.
Selected Panels and Other Events Organized
Designed, organized and lead two-year initiative to develop Timor-Leste studies at the Association for Asian Studies, with a grant ($24,000) from the Henry Luce Foundation (Toronto 2017, Washington DC 2018).
Organized panel entitled Pop Culture as Argument: Contesting Religion, Gender and Romance in Contemporary Indonesia at the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion in Denver, USA (November 2018).
Organized the Southeast Asia Council (SEAC) ‘designated panel’ on The Transformation of Religion, Culture and Society in Timor-Leste for the Annual Meetings of the Association of Asian Studies in Toronto, Canada; includes SEAC stipend of $1000 (March 2017).
Organized panel entitled Translation in Theory and Practice: Writing Across Languages in Southeast Asia for the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion in San Antonio, TX (November 2015); jointly sponsored with the Comparative Studies in Religion Section.
Organized panel entitled Theoretical Tensions in the Study of Islam: Perspectives from Southeast Asia for the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion in Atlanta, USA (November 2015); negotiated cosponsorship with the Contemporary Islam Group.
Organized panel entitled Islamic and Christian Conflicts over Authority in Southeast Asia at the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion in San Diego, USA (November 2014).
Organized panel entitled When is Politics? Islam and the Idea of ‘the Political’ in Indonesian Studies at the Annual Meetings of the Association of Asian Studies in Philadelphia, USA (March 2014).
Organized international conference entitled The Materiality and Efficacy of Aksara: Situating Balinese Scriptural Practice, sponsored by the SFB 933 on Material Text Culture, and hosted by the Institut für Ethnologie, Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg (Jan 30 – Feb 2, 2014). Organization included managing a budget of some €11,000.
Organized panel entitled Islam and Public Ethics at the Annual Meetings of the American Academy of Religion in Baltimore, USA (November 2013).
Power and Performance: Theatrical Bodies and Persons in Contemporary Bali. A full week of seminars, performances, lectures and workshops, bringing together Bali’s leading choreographers & dancers with academic experts on performance from Indonesia, US and UK. Supported by $8000 raised both from within the College and from outside sources. April 2006, Williams College.
Religion and the Performing Arts in Contemporary Bali. Winter Study Course, Williams College. January 2006. This three-week course incorporated language and cultural study with experiential learning. This included a period of ‘home stay’ study for each student, and an independent study project. Included management of a budget of some $15,000.
Performance, Aesthetics, Critique: Balinese Theatre and Dance in the 21st Century. Three nights of seminars, performances and lectures, bringing together four of Bali’s leading choreographers & dancers with academic experts on performance from Indonesia, the US and UK. Supported by $4000 provided jointly by the Dean of Faculty, Dept of Anthropology & Sociology, Dept of Asian Studies, Dept of Religion, Lecture Committee & President’s Office.
That’s Entertainment! Élites, Media and ‘The Masses’ in Post-Suharto Indonesia. Peer-reviewed panel for the Annual Conference of the Association of Asian Studies (AAS). Sponsor: Indonesian and East Timor Studies Committee. Supported by $2150 travel grant from AAS. Proceedings published in Hobart and Fox (2006).
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