Indonesian Heavy Metal

The Saturday edition of the New York Times had a fun and interesting (and occasionally disturbing) article about three young Muslim girls who have started a heavy metal band in Indonesia.

The most interesting part of the story is not only how the girls face all sorts of threats and intimidation, but how they are attracting large crowds and persevering with unflinching bravery. It is also interesting to learn how popular heavy metal music is in Indonesia, which shouldn’t actually be surprising, given how popular it is across Southeast Asia. What should really be surprising, actually, is why there is so little scholarship on the role of heavy metal in youth culture.

Broken record alert: This could be a great paper topic!

Most importantly, the video of their show is amazing, and I recommend watching it:

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if Yale students invited this band for Spring Fling!

On a more serious note, the article, and especially the energy and strength displayed by the three girls in this story, reminds me of two really interesting articles by Suzanne Brenner and Nancy Smith-Hefner that directly challenge common assumptions about the meaning of “veiling” (or wearing the hijab) in Indonesia. Both those articles (citations noted below) reveal through ethnographic research that veiling is eminently modern, and that women who veil often express a sense of empowerment. Contrary to the assumptions and stereotypes inherent to Western liberalism, Mulsim women are indeed empowered, and this rocking power trio really makes the point (quite loudly, and with a solid bass line and thumping drums to boot).

For more on empowerment and veiling see:

Brenner, S. (1996). “Reconstructing Self and Society:  Javanese Muslim Women and “The Veil”.” American Ethnologist 23(4): 673-697.

Smith-Hefner, N. J. (2007). “Javanese Women and the Veil in Post-Soeharto Indonesia.” The Journal of Asian Studies 66(2): 389-420.