Forces for change in the regional performing arts of Indonesia

Regional' performing arts are those linked by history, language, or culture to a particular region (daerah) of Indonesia. Since ethnicity is generally not acknowledged by the Indonesian government, 'regional' often serves as a euphemism for 'ethnic'. To refer to the regional arts of, say, West Sumatra, is to refer, by implication, to the arts of the Minangkabau, who are the predominant ethnic group in that region. 'Regional' arts may be contrasted with 'pan-Indonesian' arts, which are performed using the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, and are addressed to Indonesians without regard to geography or ethnicity. (It is tempting to call these pan-Indonesian arts 'national', but since this paper deals in part with ideas of 'national culture', the usage might introduce unnecessary confusion. Such confusion has sometimes arisen in my conversations with Indonesians, for whom 'national' when applied to, say, music, often means 'patriotic'.)