Indonesia is a remarkable case study for religious politics. While not being a theocratic country, it is not secular either, with the Indonesian state officially defining what constitutes religion, and every citizen needing to be affiliated to one of them. This book focuses on Java and Bali, and the interesting comparison of two neighbouring societies shaped by two different religions - Islam and Hinduism. The book examines the appropriation by the peoples of Java and Bali of the idea of religion, through a dialogic process of indigenization of universalist religions and universalization of indigenous religions. It looks at the tension that exists between proponents of local world-views and indigenous belief systems, and those who deny those local traditions as qualifying as a religion. This tension plays a leading part in the construction of an Indonesian religious identity recognized by the state. The book is of interest to students and scholars of Southeast Asia, religious studies and the anthropology and sociology of religion.

The Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies is a comprehensive and interdisciplinary resource, which frames and contextualises the rapidly expanding fields that explore yoga and meditative techniques. The book analyses yoga and meditation studies in a variety of religious, historical and geographical settings. The chapters, authored by an international set of experts, are laid out across five sections: Introduction to yoga and meditation studies History of yoga and meditation in South Asia Doctrinal perspectives: technique and praxis Global and regional transmissions Disciplinary framings In addition to up-to-date explorations of the history of yoga and meditation in the Indian subcontinent, new contexts include a case study of yoga and meditation in the contemporary Tibetan diaspora, and unique summaries of historical developments in Japan and Latin America as well as an introduction to the growing academic study of yoga in Korea. Underpinned by critical and theoretical engagement, the volume provides an in-depth guide to the history of yoga and meditation studies and combines the best of established research with attention to emerging directions for future investigation. This handbook will be of interest to multidisciplinary academic audiences from across the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Chapters 1, 4, 9, 12, and 27 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Stephen Headley's new book explores contemporary religious change in the Surakarta region of Central Java. In his analysis of the Durga ritual complex, the author sheds light on one of the most unusual court traditions to have survived in an era of deepening Islamisation.

At the completion of this critical bibliography which forms another step in the direction of the realization of the bibliographical project inaugurated in 1955 by Dr. Voorhoeve's survey of the languages of Sumatra, I acknowledge with gratitude the valuable assistance received from various people. I am indebted to my colleagues Prof. Dr. G. W. J. Drewes, Dr. J. Noorduyn, Dr. Th. Pigeaud, Prof. Dr. A. Teeuw and Dr. P. Voorhoeve, who read all or part of the manuscript and who generously put their extensive knowledge of the Java languages at my disposal. Heartfelt thanks are due to Mr. B. J. Hoff and Mr. A. G. Sciarone, both members of my staff, who verified many of the biblio graphical details. I am grateful to the library of the University of Leiden and to the library of the Institute in The Hague because of their readiness in giving me all the facilities I needed for the preparation of this book. Most useful was the cordial assistance received from my colleague Prof. Dr. P. E. de Josselin de Jong, who spent much time correcting the many imperfections of my English text, which greatly promoted the readability of the narrative sections of this survey.