Getting to know the Gayo in Sumatra's highlands

John Bowen's pioneering research reveals intricacies of Gayo culture -- and broader lessons as well

In the highlands of Sumatra, Indonesia, known for its coffee plantations, rice fields and spectacular vistas, John R. Bowen, Ph.D., professor of anthropology in Arts and Sciences, has documented a rich and complex tapestry of cultural change among the Gayo, who inhabit the area.

Through groundbreaking fieldwork beginning in 1978, Bowen has traced the intricacies of cultural and social shifts in the Gayo people's oral traditions, Islamic practice and legal systems. Bowen jokes that northern Sumatra's moderate climate and his love of coffee were enticing factors in selecting the site for fieldwork, but the area has been ideal for numerous reasons.

John R. Bowen, Ph.D., talks with graduate student Erin Stiles about plans for her fieldwork in Africa.

Although Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation, the inhabitants' practice of Islam had been one of the least studied. While the country is the fourth most populated, anthropologists were just beginning to document the cultural diversity of its 190 million people, who speak more than 300 distinct languages. Additionally, Indonesia has undergone major transformation politically from control by independent rulers to Dutch colonization to Japanese occupancy. Following independence in 1945, the country experienced radical nationalization, rebellion in many provinces, government massacres of at least 500,000 people accused of being communists, and current turmoil after the fall of the Suharto regime.

Shifts in traditions

"Anthropology used to describe 'the people of X place' as if they had a fixed way of life, but it is really a lot more complicated than that," said Bowen, the author of two books and numerous articles on Gayo religious practices, politics and poetics. "While a few principles and ways of life may characterize a people over time, social life changes as a set of responses to new issues. I try to analyze change through the lens of those principles and those ways of life."

Bowen's fieldwork represents the first anthropological study of the Gayo people. His research documents the innovative reshaping of their oral histories, village maxims, oral poetic competitions and ritual speaking, which is used to settle disputes or mark major village events such as marriages. Through these adapted cultural forms, the Gayo have maintained a strong sense of identity and incorporated issues of public debate.

In addition to the depth of his scholarly analysis, Bowen's research is noteworthy for the long period of time he has spent among the Gayo, including a 28-month stint in the 1970s and numerous return visits ranging from two to 10 months each. Bowen, who is fluent in Indonesian and Gayo, has recorded literally thousands of hours of interviews, public debates, poetic competitions and major events in the Sumatran highlands.

Proficient in both Arabic script and written Dutch, he also has spent countless hours poring over religious, political, historical and legal documents. The experience has led to close friendships with the Gayo, many of whom have expressed gratitude for his role in helping to preserve their culture.

This Kerawang tapestry is typical of indigenous art forms in the Gayo highlands.

Interwoven with his study of cultural forms, Bowen has documented the Gayo's everyday practice of Islam. His focus again has been on variation in religious practices and the meanings to individuals as they carry out religious rituals related to farming, healing, praying and burying the dead. Bowen has analyzed broader religious transformations taking place in the Indonesian nation and the worldwide Muslim community as well.

"My Gayo fieldwork showed me how many generalizations and religious debates about what 'Islam says' are misleading," Bowen said. "There is no such person named 'Islam' who pronounces on human life, only a lot of people, connected in various ways and with differing degrees of authority, who make pronouncements. They often make these because of the culture or political interests and values they have, not because they are Muslims. Gayo Muslims, for example, have relatively gender-equal attitudes, and they see their Islam through that lens."

Special gift

"John's book 'Muslims through Discourse' illustrates his special gift of communicating the living and lively interchange among the Muslims he studies, concerning a wide variety of practices, customs and ideas, while setting that interchange in historical and cultural context," said Graham, professor of the history of religion and Islamic studies. "His work shows us clearly that religious concerns are not isolated, 'special' ones set apart from other sectors of life, but intimately involved in and inseparable from all of them."

Bowen's overall interest in religion and ritual, including a course he teaches on the topic, led to his newest book, "Religions in Practice." The book examines specific religious practices and rituals, drawing from a variety of religious traditions. While focusing on the rituals, rules, symbols and laws that shape religious lives in different societies, Bowen explores common elements among religions, as well as the social context and diversity of interpretations within religions.

Touring France

Bowen joined the Department of Anthropology here in 1985. He was named chair of the University's Committee on Social Thought and Analysis in 1991 and chair of the Commission on Undergraduate Curriculum in Arts and Sciences in 1997. Over the years, Bowen has valued the numerous opportunities at the University for both creativity and work across disciplinary boundaries.

The Social Thought and Analysis program, which involves faculty from anthropology, economics, education, history, law, medicine, political science, psychology and social work, strives to give students a comprehensive look at society and culture for the 21st century. Uniting social theory and empirical analysis, the program focuses on social problems arising from distributions of power and resources.

Graduate student Erin Stiles noted Bowen's knack for tackling issues from a variety of perspectives. "One of Professor Bowen's best qualities is his ability to connect ideas from different areas and disciplines in interesting ways," she said. "He is a very creative thinker and this comes through in his teaching style, which is open and fluid."

A gifted professor, Bowen received the Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1992-93. He currently teaches courses in the history of anthropological theory, religion and ritual, historical anthropology and social theory.

Alumna Miyako Inoue, who earned her Ph.D. in anthropology in 1996 and is now an assistant professor of anthropology at Stanford University, said Bowen inspired her in her chosen career.

"Professor Bowen is a stellar scholar, who combines remarkable skill as a fieldworker with a truly breathtaking grasp on social theory," Inoue said. "Everyday that I work as a professor, I realize more and more how much Professor Bowen and the anthropology program at Washington University prepared me well to be a professional scholar."

Overall, Bowen believes that social anthropology can help to combat stereotypes and demonstrate that cultural differences need not engender conflict. "We need to counter tendencies to reduce other societies to the level of 'primitive' or 'developing' or some such evolutionary notion," he said. "The anthropological challenge is to show just how different their lives indeed are, and also how much we are all really alike."