Old Javanese studies; A review of the field

Abstract

For nearly two hundred years the academic study of the languages and liter atures of ancient Java has attracted the attention of scholars. Interest in Old Javanese had its genesis in the Orientalist traditions of early nineteenth-cen tury European scholarship. Until the end of the colonial period, the study of Old Javanese was dominated by Dutch scholars whose main interest was philology. Not surprisingly the number of researchers working in this field has never been large, but as the field has expanded from its original philo logical focus to encompass research in a variety of disciplines, it has remain ed a small but viable research area in the wider field of Indonesian studies. As a number of recent review articles have shown (Andaya and Andaya 1995; Aung-Thwin 1995; McVey 1995; Reynolds 1995), in the field of South east Asian studies as a whole, issues of modern state formation and devel opment have dominated the interest of scholars and commentators. Within this academic framework, interest in the Indonesian archipelago in the period since independence has also focused largely on issues relating to the modern Indonesian state. This focus on national concerns has not lent itself well to a rich ongoing scholarship on regional cultures, whether ancient or modern. Indeed, as Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) has developed as the national language, there has been a corresponding decline in the study of regional languages and cultures both in Indonesia itself and in the wider aca demic community. As a counterbalance, however, in the last decade there has been a recognition of the importance of earlier social, cultural and religious values for understanding contemporary culture in Southeast Asia, and a renewal of interest in the past (McVey 1995:5; Lombard 1995:11). For Indone sia, the field of Old Javanese studies has a significant role to play in this area. This review of the field of Old Javanese studies aims to draw together details of scholarly work that has been published in scattered and sometimes relatively inaccessible sources. At the dawn of a new millennium, it is useful to evaluate what has been achieved, to draw attention to work that is cur rently being undertaken in a range of complementary fields, and to point to some potential developments within this field.