Jennifer Goodlander offers a detail-rich, evocative, and insightful account of her practical studies of Balinese wayang kulit, situating her own training in relation to the small group of Balinese women who have performed as puppeteers over the last four decades.
Matthew Isaac Cohen, Professor of International Theatre, Royal Holloway, University of London This groundbreaking study explores the ... Read moreunusual position of a handful of women dalang (puppeteers) in Bali, including Goodlander herself...Professor Goodlander's knowledge, experience, and caring for her subject matter comes through on every page.
Linda Ehrich The question of what impact women performing the wayang kulit has on gender dynamics in Balinese society is satisfyingly answered by the thoughtfully considered and richly informed analysis that permeates this book...[addressing] performance innovations that seemingly disrupt centuries of tradition yet equally gratify the desire for novelty- and, in doing so, much is revealed about the nature of transformation, balance, gender, and culture in Bali.
Beth Onses [Women in the Shadows] is an exceptional and very personal work filled with rich insights on ritual process, wayang narratives, puppet characters, and Balinese culture in general. Goodlander has produced a short, though substantial, work that is unique in approach, interpretation, and content, enhanced by her own immersion experience.
David Harnish Goodlander presents an intimate, detailed account of her studies to become a dalang, contextualizing her experiences with those of the few Balinese women dalangs. She contends that this incursion must ultimately be perceived within the gendered power systems of Balinese culture. Summing up: Recommended. Show Less