Integrated Field Research and Spatial Analysis of Multiple Modalities of Political Change

Central Washington University, Ellensburg WA

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Lene Pedersen, Central Washington University, will undertake a three-year research program to investigate the intersecting structures and meanings of changing ties between rulers and ruled. The research will contribute to better understanding of the significant emerging phenomenon of hybrid systems of governance, as newly decentralized political systems are brought into relation with older, multi-level traditional systems, in many parts of the world today. The research will be carried out in a polity in Bali, Indonesia. Taking a multi-sited and multi-method approach within a spatially explicit analytical framework, the study has three components. First, the researcher, working with a geographer and a Balinese research team, will map and analyze land-based, ritual, and kinship ties and obligations between princes and subjects. Second, she will examine the direct involvement of princes in multiple aspects of community life, such as ritual, irrigation, and political decision making Third, she will investigate how individuals perceive the princedom and the nation-state, and whether and to what degree these ideas are shaped by traditional political forms. From considering the present context of decentralization in Indonesia and the rise of Bali-Hindu ethno-nationalism, both of which have given new impetus to traditional institutions, Pedersen will also be able to examine the consequences of post-colonial land reforms and local political restructuring. Mapping and analysis utilizing a geographical information system database will allow her to determine the inter-scalar and multi-faceted web of ties to the palace and their relationships over time, while interviews and surveys will contribute ethnographic and generalizable data on associated behaviors and attitudes. Dr. Pedersen's research is important because it takes a new approach to addressing long-standing questions, in Bali and elsewhere, about political change as inter-scalar political relations shift over time. Findings from this research will inform social science theory of political transformation in shifting contexts of institutional complexity. The project will also make important methodological contributions through its integration of ethnographic and survey approaches within a spatial framework. In addition, the research fosters international research collaboration and supports student education.