Articles by Wayan Jarrah Sastrawan

Writing History in Premodern Java

The materiality of writing has major implications for the practice of history...When you look at a ‘medieval’ Javanese manuscript, it is almost always an 18th or 19th century copy of a copy of a copy ... and so on.

Was Majapahit really an empire?

A critical reflection on the emergence, dominance and legacy of Java’s historic ‘empire’.

Writing history in the Indian Ocean world

Writing history in the Indian Ocean world was the result of a complex interplay of global norms and local conditions of textual production.

The Sufi poet and the peculiar whale (part two)

A commentary on the Sufi poem of the peculiar whale, by the 16th-century Malay poet Hamzah of Barus.

The Sufi poet and the peculiar whale (part one)

Hamzah of Barus was the foremost Malay poet of the 16th century, whose work draws deeply from Sufi imagery and philosophy.

Historical Perspectives on Philippine Contemporary Art

A historically-focussed review of the AGNSW's Passion + Procession: Art of the Philippines exhibition.

Java’s Muslim Warrior Queen

This article explores the life and career of one of Java's great premodern leaders: the 16th-century queen of Jepara.

Setting the Record Crooked

Conspiracy theories about the past reveal important obstacles and opportunities for history education in Indonesia.

Through the Looking-Glass: Indonesian Reflections on Australian History

"An encounter between Australian Indonesianists and Indonesian Australianists offers fruitful avenues for both countries

Pramoedya’s Message to the Youth of Indonesia

Indonesia's most important writer tells the youth to take control of the nation's future.