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Dissertation: Tana Toraja, Sulawesi

Dissertation: Tana Toraja, Sulawesi. Toraja, Indonesia - Choosing a location to study.

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Dissertation: Tana Toraja, Sulawesi

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  1. Dissertation: Tana Toraja, Sulawesi

  2. Toraja, Indonesia - Choosing a location to study Toraja is a highly unique cultural area. Marginalised both by its geography and religion (Adams 1997), the mountainous upland regency has a clearly differentiated identity to that of its lowland Muslim neighbours

  3. Choosing a Topic to Focus on • I had previously visited the region whilst doing some voluntary work • During this time I worked and stayed in a local orphanage • This raised questions - I wanted to find out more about what I had experience • Reading the literature I disagreed with some of the view points • Felt that there was something missing in the research

  4. Reading up on the literature The literature on Toraja took a narrow focus on… • The changing ceremonial culture • The staging of culture for tourists • Tourist consumption • And notions of cultural authenticity I felt that this approach was outdated and provided a one sided view of Torajan-western relations. I wanted to move away from this and find out more about Toraja as a region which has negotiated western contact for over a century. I wanted to look at this process from their point of view.

  5. Relations between the Global and the Local in Toraja, Indonesia • After thinking about this further I came up with the following aims … • To explore the ways in which Torajan people understand tourists and imagine the world outside Toraja • To examine how interpretations of the west and global awareness shape consumption practices and the idolisation or rejection of western goods • Investigate the effects technology on social interactions both globally and locally

  6. Choosing my Methods My previous experiences of Toraja dictated my decisions on method. I also needed to use a method that reflected my aims and data • 21 interviews in total • Snowball sampling • A revised set of interview questions half way through • Participant observation

  7. Preparing to conduct my research • It was important for me to get my interviews set out before I left the UK • I printed consent forms in advance • I bought a Dictaphone and took a netbook with me to type up my interviews • I contacted the people I had met on my fist trip to Toraja and they helped arrange a local homestay • I found an English, Indonesian and Torajan speaking translator online, who had experience of interviewing

  8. Carrying out the Research • Biggest success • Staying with a local family allowed for greater emersion into Torajan life and provided inspiration for my second stage interviews • Main difficulties • For Daud to communicate the depth of the information provided by the interviewees • For interviewees to be open with their views, some were very shy • illness

  9. Structuring Findings –Key Themes • Coding findings to create a structure • Perceptions of the west • Relationships • Consumption practices • Cultural change Exploring the fundamental shifts in peoples abilities to interact over distance, consume goods produced in a global market place, meet with individuals from other cultures, and view themselves within the global context

  10. Questions

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