Women in The Shadows: Gender, Puppets, and The Power of Tradition in Bali by Jennifer Goodlander (review)

In her new book, Women in the Shadows, Jennifer Goodlander continues her scholarship on women dalang (puppeteers) and wayang kulit (shadow theatre) in Bali, Indonesia. Goodlander examines the role and social positions of women dalang within a traditionally male role in Balinese society. The author does this by focusing on the concept of power within Balinese society and how this ties into gender hierarchy, tradition, and wayang kulit.

In six chapters Goodlander uses an efficient and thought-provoking division of her book by separating it into two main parts that represent the primary division of Balinese cosmology: the visible realm (sekala) and the invisible realm (niskala). In the first section, the sekala, Goodlander provides a detailed overview of historical and changing practices involved in becoming a dalang as well as the physical objects that are required for wayang kulit training and performance. In chapter 2 Goodlander gives an overview of wayang kulit tradition, training, structures, and aesthetics through the lens and outline of her own training to become a dalang. This cleverly gives the reader a clear understanding of how the dalang negotiates and interacts with these traditions and society through wayang kulit. This organizational strategy also makes for an easy-to-follow narrative of wayang kulit training.

In chapter 3 the author also analyzes elements of the visible world to provide insight into some of the social constraints and obstacles facing women dalang. Goodlander analyzes the tradition, value, and function of the puppets but, most important, analyzes them through the puppets' storage and home, the puppet box. "The puppet box is an object from the past that operates within a discourse of norms that provide insight into how wayang kulit connects to social structures within Balinese society" (p. 71). Goodlander draws on Arjun Appadurai's works to offer a framework through four constraints or obstacles operating on the puppet box: authority, continuity, depth, and interdependence. This framework is then used to analyze and break down the obstacles facing both the visible and the invisible worlds for women dalang.

Goodlander then ties these obstacles into the second section, the niskala, where she builds on her personal training in wayang kulit to examine the invisible realms of power, ritual, and ceremony. Through her process from student to performing dalang she examines how her involvement as not only an outsider but also as a female played into the unique position of dalang within Balinese society. Chapter 5 then focuses on the relatively new phenomenon of women dalang. This chapter includes interviews with several prominent women dalang in Bali and discusses their histories and how their presence, training, and performances have or have not shifted the invisible realms of ritual and power. Goodlander also touches on the obstacles these women have faced and continue to face, such as their perceived physicality, training opportunities, family duties, and social responsibilities that affect their power and place in the structures of society as women dalang.

To conclude, the author incorporates and examines moments from a performance of the story Gugur Niwatakawaca (Death of Niwatakawaca) from Arjuna Wiwaha (Arjuna's Wedding)—a traditional work of Javanese Kawi literature that is used as story material for wayang kulit—that focuses on a strong female character. Goodlander uses this story to analyze women in both the visible and invisible realms in Balinese society as well as investigate the question, "Why are women still in the shadows?" (p. 174).

Overall, the book is written in a very accessible style thanks to Good-lander interspersing her own experiences from the year she spent training in Bali with some of the more difficult concepts of power and structure within the Balinese cosmology that could have been overwhelming for those not yet well versed in Balinese society, making this book an excellent addition to the collection of anyone looking to learn more about wayang kulit, dalang, or gender roles in Balinese society. However, while Goodlander...