Mapping the Spread of Islam In Indonesia: Problems with Points and Polygons

1. Mapping the Spread of Islam In Indonesia:Problems with Points and Polygons Caverlee Cary GIS Center, UC Berkeley “E-culture and Intellectual Property in the Global Community” Pacific Neighborhood Consortium Annual Conference University of Hawaii, Manoa November 2, 2005

2. Constructing and De-constructing Visualizations Issues in contemporary and historic contexts of relation between data, its representation, and the reality of peoples’ lives Use available or contributed data to make maps Questionable completeness: no data contributed, or no data survives Validity: Can we judge the documentation of history? Can we avoid bringing our own biases to bear in interpreting what we work with, intentionally or unintentionally filling in gaps?

4. Robert Cribb’s Historical Atlas of Indonesia (University of Hawaii, 2000)Spatial data assistance by Lawrence Crissman

5. Original Goals Provide support for development of data for ECAI Southeast Asia Opportunity to begin mapping Indonesia data Suggest the shift from Buddhism to Islam in Indonesia (primarily Java and Sumatra) An opportunity to further the mapping of trade routes, as trade routes are regarded as critical to the spread of Islam

6. Space, Time, Attribute data

7. Collaborators: Spatial data (real-time satellite data retrieval): Howard Foster, Calmap Temporal data (animation of Cribb’s polygons over time): Andrew Wilson and Tessa Boer-Mah, University of Sydney Attribute data: culled from secondary sources on Indonesia, displayed in TimeMap

8. Points, Polygons, and Uncertainty Secondary sources use spatial shorthand, including citing a city for an area that may be larger than a city alone, or only a few individuals within that city Secondary sources may cite a contemporary geographic name that may or may not represent the same spatial unit in different understandings (i. e. “trade with China”)

9. Evidence and Uncertainty Early period: extreme uncertainty Artifacts: graves in central Java with Islamic inscriptions Chronicles: Ma-Huan, traveling with Zheng He to passisir coast, north Java Later: clearer indications, such as rulers inviting Islamic scholars from middle East to teach, and presence of Islamic manuscripts

10. Points, Polygons, and Uncertainty At best: Some regions have a wealth of documents, which even then may still have gaps or other irregularities Example: Ming shih-lu (China) These chronicles have information relevant to trade with Indonesia, but are compiled outside Indonesia

11. On-line Ming Shih-lu

12. Points, Polygons, and Uncertainty At worst: Important cultural and political entities that leave little record Example: Srivijaya, a major trading entrepot, site of large monasteries, exporter of culture that left its mark in inscription and art objects across western Indonesia, Malaysia, and peninsular Thailand Capital possibly near Palembang in Sumatra Likely to have been built of largely perishable materials, perhaps much of it over water, so little survives

14. Temporal data: Animation

15. Spatial data using “CalMap”

16. CalMap input interface

18. Website includes an interface for internet access in real time global spatial data The spatial data is at present an IMAGE ONLY. Work is underway to geo-reference individual polygons in order to conduct spatial analysis.

29. Trade Routes Route vectors simplified for ease in understanding in secondary sources, but thus leaving out other sites involved in trade

31. Evidence for the Spread of Islam

32. Spread of Islam: Cities

33. Conversion to Islam

34. “Conversions” polygons What does “conversion” to Islam mean? Historians within the Muslim tradition: is their vision different? Trading partners: assumed to be combination of convenience and conviction in varying proportions? Aggrandize position by adoption of the accoutrements of “sultan” What relation is there between conversion at the “top” and change in way of life for the rest of the population? Records of “conversion” moments may or may not survive Overall: suggest a general pattern of conversion, but multiple levels of uncertainty in meaning

35. Wali Songo Local and national mythology: critical figures in the spread of Islam

36. The Wali Songo and the Spread of Islam The wali songo legacy is part of national mythology Their graves are sites of pilgrimage and spiritual mobilization

37. Wali Songo: Peoples’ Lives Their lives have multiple possible spatial identification: where were they born? where did they study? Where did their teachers come from? where did they practice? (multiple sites, and multiple sites in different ways?) where are their graves?

38. Wali Songo Multiple kinds of spatial information about a life: Sunan Ampel

40. Creating Imagined [Digital] Communities: Historical data: sensitivities of data access and distribution different from that of data relating to living persons, but still potentially sensitive issues Intellectual property rights of communities to knowledge: writing the story of Islam in Indonesia

41. Creating Imagined [Digital] Communities: Who has the capacity to speak?Participation in communicationsTechnical accessWho has the right to speak?LegitimacyDifferent spheres of establishing credentialsDoes the dynamic change once there are multiple empowered voices?

42. Project Collaborators, UC GIS Center:Xing LiuHoward FosterArnold ClobesFreesia PearsonJohn RadkeCaverlee Cary