From Classrooms to Rice Fields: Cultivating Connections Through Field Studies in Bali, Indonesia

by Kirk A. Johnson University of Mississippi (Editor), Dianne Strong (Editor)

Overview

Grounded in ten years of research, this collection of essays works to capture the value of stepping out of the classroom environment and away from computer screens. From Classrooms to Rice Fields will take readers on a voyage to the culturally rich and complex island of Bali in the Indonesian archipelago. Each year, the sociology and anthropology programs at the University of Guam engage in field studies in Bali with undergraduate students seeking to understand both the world and themselves more deeply. This book captures the stories and experiences of scholars and students alike, including social workers, filmmakers, activists, writers, development practitioners, indigenous farmers, and weavers. From Classrooms to Rice Fields deals with the all-important questions of change for communities and indigenous people in both Asia and the Pacific trying to find their place in the modern world. Readers will be uplifted by the spirit and passion of lessons learned as we all attempt to rediscover community in the 21st century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761857129
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	11/28/2011
Pages:	330
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kirk Johnson was raised in the rural mountains of Western India. He received two master’s degrees from Ohio University and a Ph.D. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He now works as a professor of sociology at the University of Guam. Johnson is the author or editor of four books and has written more than twenty referred journal articles. He has been the director of the Bali Field School since 2004.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Reaching Back Across the Ocean: Learning about Ourselves by Engaging our Ancestral Roots
Kirk Johnson
Part 1: Research Papers
1. Enhancing Connections with Asia: Preparing to Benefit from the Current Paradigm Shift
Ron Crocombe
2. Being Balinese in a Global Village: The Conundrums of Daily Life in Ubud
Kirk Johnson and Rebecca A. Stephenson
3. Symbols of Survival
Sandra Iseke Okada
4. Overseas Field Schools and Danger Within the Context of Globalization
Rebecca A. Stephenson and Hiro Kurashina
5. Globalization, Tourism and Taboo: Exploring Cultural Improprieties in Bali, Indonesia
Lan-Hung Nora Chiang, Rebecca A. Stephenson, Hiro Kurashina, and Thomas J. Iverson
6. Daughter, Wife and Mother: A Brief Life History of a Chuukese Woman
Typrina Kasimiro
7. Feminism in Indonesia
Zohra Andi Baso
8. The Strength of a Woman
Michelle Castro

9. Inter-Institutional Cooperation Between Unibetsedat Guahan, Guam and Universitas Udayana, Bali: Thoughts on the Past 10 Years of Working with Faculty Members and Students of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, University of Guam
D.K. Harya Putra
10. A Journey of Self-Discovery: Finding the CHamoru Within Me
Nikkie Cruz de Jesus-Cushing
11. Tourism Research: Reflections on the Bali Field School
Thomas J. Iverson
12. Bali: Hope in Paradise: A Filmmaker's Journey
Jane Walters
13. The Role of Spectacles in Building Community
Sandy Stilwell
14. Finding Connections
David Dewey
15. Finding Home on a Different Island
Jessica K. P. Aguon
16. Descendants of a Global Family
Jon Tikivanotau M. Jonassen
17. Sex Tourism in the Age of Globalization: Perspectives from Two Island Communities
Antonio B. Perry
18. Why Study Community Development and Globalization Issues in Bali?
William Ingram
19. Why is it You Cry?
Terilynn Francisco
20. The Balance of Life
Ni Made Desa Perwani (Tuttut)

21. The Answers are Found in a Little Village in Eastern Bali: An Interview of I Wayan Karya by Ni Made Desa Perwani
I Wayan Karya
22. The Essential Spirituality
Charissa L. Aguon
23. Higher Learning in the Pacific: Reflections on Diversity and Technology in a Capstone Course at an Island University
Kirk Johnson, Jonathan K. Lee, Rebecca A. Stephenson, and Julius Ceasar Sotomayor Cena
Part 2: Reflections from Bali
1. Reflections on the Bali Experience
2. A Letter from the Mawar Family of Ubud, Bali
Part 3: Casting Our Net
1. A Brief History: Casting Our Net: Rediscovering Community in the 21st Century
Kirk Johnson
2. The Success of a Film: Reflections from Fellow Filmmakers
Kel and Don Muña
3. A Look Back: Stepping Out of Our Comfort Zones
Charissa Aguon
4. A Closer Look: Casting Our Net: The Script
Charissa Aguon
5. A Letter from East-West Center
Gerard A. Finin
Part 4: Appendix
1. Assessment: Ten Years of UOG in Ubud, Bali
Elizabeth Coville
2. Letter of Suport for Bali Field Workshop and Community Development Class
Jonathan K. Lee, B.A.

Bibliography
Index
About the Authors

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

The Pacific island students on the University of Guam’s Field Studies Program come to Bali seeking insight into how a traditional culture can thrive in the midst of globalization. Their research is far more than an academic pursuit for it speaks to intensely personal questions of community identity, questions we should all be asking ourselves, wherever we live. —William Ingram, co-founder and co-director of Threads of Life, Bali, Indonesia


Our ancient Balinese culture and way of life are honored by the contributions of this book.. .. In Bali we believe that God is in the rice and. .. for students and academics to step out of their classrooms and travel to Bali to learn and grow is a most noble and beneficial act.. .. Thus, to step into the rice fields is the most natural step of all, since this is the real classroom of our lives. —Nyoman Bagiarta, founder and manager of Puri Lumbung and former director of the Bali Hotel & Tourism Institute