Travelling songs: Heritage and popular culture in contemporary ASEAN

Abstract

Music and songs are among the many intangible cultural heritages whose ownership is liable to be contested by communities and nation-states wanting to disseminate them beyond their cultural and social orbits. In Southeast Asia, music and songs expressed in performing arts and other forms of artistic tradition have been central to the cultural repertoires of the people. But popular music, like other cultural forms, has emerged and evolved during the era of nation-states, and today popular music and songs travel faster across the region than ever before. The accelerating processes of cultural exchange, appropriation and evolution demand our attention and understanding. This article identifies several popular songs that have the potential to foster a sense of belonging and solidarity among the people of ASEAN. The role of entertainment media in disseminating popular songs from one country to others in the region is discussed as an important site for the fostering of cultural commonalities. We argue that the ability to recognize cultural commonalities and to accept one another’s distinctive expressions of shared cultural forms will be instrumental to easing anxiety about and dismissing narcissistic claims to ownership of certain cultural objects. Concrete mechanisms and initiatives for forging cultural commonality are needed, and the establishment of a discursive realm is certainly an instrumental step in this direction.

Keywords:

• Music
• songs
• intangible cultural heritage
• cultural diversity
• cultural identity
• popular culture
• ASEAN

Public Interest Statement

Music and songs are among the many intangible cultural heritages whose ownership is liable to be contested by communities and nation-states wanting to disseminate them beyond their cultural and social orbits. In Southeast Asia, popular music emerged and evolved during the era of nation-states, and today popular music and songs travel faster across the region than ever before. This article identifies several popular songs that have the potential to foster a sense of belonging and solidarity among the people of ASEAN. The role of entertainment media in disseminating popular songs from one country to others in the region is discussed as an important site for the fostering of cultural commonalities. We argue that the ability to recognize cultural commonalities and to accept one another’s distinctive expressions of shared cultural forms will be instrumental to easing anxiety about and dismissing narcissistic claims to ownership of certain cultural objects.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the warm and supportive contribution of researchers and lecturers from Universitas Indonesia, University of Malaya, and National University of Singapore through several dialogues, focus group discussions, interviews, and online meetings.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the International Collaborative Research Grant provided by the Directorate of Research and Community Engagement, Universitas Indonesia, year of 2019, managed by Dr. Ninny Soesanti Tedjowasono as the Research Team Leader, based on the research titled: “Enhancing the Spirit of ASEAN-ness to Strengthen ASEAN Cultural Pillar through Research of Communal Cultural Values of the Southeast Asian” (Contract Number: NKB-1914/UN2.R3.1/HKP.05.00/2019)

Notes on contributors

Linda Sunarti

Linda Sunarti, Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, Hanafi Hussin, Azhar Ibrahim, and Noor Fatia Lastika Sari are parts of a research team led by Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, which studied the dynamics of heritage and culture amongst Southeast Asian nations. Linda is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, while Noor is an associate lecturer in the same department and Ninny is from the Department of Archaeology of the same university. Hanafi is a professor at the University of Malaya, while Azhar is a senior lecturer in the Malay Studies of National University of Singapore. Linda studies the interrelation of the Malay world in the context of Southeast Asia, with specific focus in studying the cultural aspect of the relation between Indonesia and Malaysia, while Ninny specialises in Indonesian epigraphy and an active member of Ikatan Ahli Arkeologi Indonesia (IAAI). Hanafi focuses his research in the anthropology of Southeast Asia, particularly on ritual and performing arts, Azhar specialises in religion and society, deviance and social control, sensory studies, as well as Malay studies in general, while Noor studies about the cross-borders issues and the maritime border between Indonesia and Australia.This research is a collaboration between scholars in three universities in the Southeast Asia region to enhance affinities in the spirit of enhancing ASEAN-ness.

Ninny Susanti Tejowasono

Linda Sunarti, Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, Hanafi Hussin, Azhar Ibrahim, and Noor Fatia Lastika Sari are parts of a research team led by Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, which studied the dynamics of heritage and culture amongst Southeast Asian nations. Linda is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, while Noor is an associate lecturer in the same department and Ninny is from the Department of Archaeology of the same university. Hanafi is a professor at the University of Malaya, while Azhar is a senior lecturer in the Malay Studies of National University of Singapore. Linda studies the interrelation of the Malay world in the context of Southeast Asia, with specific focus in studying the cultural aspect of the relation between Indonesia and Malaysia, while Ninny specialises in Indonesian epigraphy and an active member of Ikatan Ahli Arkeologi Indonesia (IAAI). Hanafi focuses his research in the anthropology of Southeast Asia, particularly on ritual and performing arts, Azhar specialises in religion and society, deviance and social control, sensory studies, as well as Malay studies in general, while Noor studies about the cross-borders issues and the maritime border between Indonesia and Australia.This research is a collaboration between scholars in three universities in the Southeast Asia region to enhance affinities in the spirit of enhancing ASEAN-ness.

Hanafi Hussin

Linda Sunarti, Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, Hanafi Hussin, Azhar Ibrahim, and Noor Fatia Lastika Sari are parts of a research team led by Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, which studied the dynamics of heritage and culture amongst Southeast Asian nations. Linda is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, while Noor is an associate lecturer in the same department and Ninny is from the Department of Archaeology of the same university. Hanafi is a professor at the University of Malaya, while Azhar is a senior lecturer in the Malay Studies of National University of Singapore. Linda studies the interrelation of the Malay world in the context of Southeast Asia, with specific focus in studying the cultural aspect of the relation between Indonesia and Malaysia, while Ninny specialises in Indonesian epigraphy and an active member of Ikatan Ahli Arkeologi Indonesia (IAAI). Hanafi focuses his research in the anthropology of Southeast Asia, particularly on ritual and performing arts, Azhar specialises in religion and society, deviance and social control, sensory studies, as well as Malay studies in general, while Noor studies about the cross-borders issues and the maritime border between Indonesia and Australia.This research is a collaboration between scholars in three universities in the Southeast Asia region to enhance affinities in the spirit of enhancing ASEAN-ness.

Azhar Ibrahim

Linda Sunarti, Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, Hanafi Hussin, Azhar Ibrahim, and Noor Fatia Lastika Sari are parts of a research team led by Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, which studied the dynamics of heritage and culture amongst Southeast Asian nations. Linda is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, while Noor is an associate lecturer in the same department and Ninny is from the Department of Archaeology of the same university. Hanafi is a professor at the University of Malaya, while Azhar is a senior lecturer in the Malay Studies of National University of Singapore. Linda studies the interrelation of the Malay world in the context of Southeast Asia, with specific focus in studying the cultural aspect of the relation between Indonesia and Malaysia, while Ninny specialises in Indonesian epigraphy and an active member of Ikatan Ahli Arkeologi Indonesia (IAAI). Hanafi focuses his research in the anthropology of Southeast Asia, particularly on ritual and performing arts, Azhar specialises in religion and society, deviance and social control, sensory studies, as well as Malay studies in general, while Noor studies about the cross-borders issues and the maritime border between Indonesia and Australia.This research is a collaboration between scholars in three universities in the Southeast Asia region to enhance affinities in the spirit of enhancing ASEAN-ness.

Noor Fatia Lastika Sari

Linda Sunarti, Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, Hanafi Hussin, Azhar Ibrahim, and Noor Fatia Lastika Sari are parts of a research team led by Ninny Susanti Tejowasono, which studied the dynamics of heritage and culture amongst Southeast Asian nations. Linda is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, while Noor is an associate lecturer in the same department and Ninny is from the Department of Archaeology of the same university. Hanafi is a professor at the University of Malaya, while Azhar is a senior lecturer in the Malay Studies of National University of Singapore. Linda studies the interrelation of the Malay world in the context of Southeast Asia, with specific focus in studying the cultural aspect of the relation between Indonesia and Malaysia, while Ninny specialises in Indonesian epigraphy and an active member of Ikatan Ahli Arkeologi Indonesia (IAAI). Hanafi focuses his research in the anthropology of Southeast Asia, particularly on ritual and performing arts, Azhar specialises in religion and society, deviance and social control, sensory studies, as well as Malay studies in general, while Noor studies about the cross-borders issues and the maritime border between Indonesia and Australia.This research is a collaboration between scholars in three universities in the Southeast Asia region to enhance affinities in the spirit of enhancing ASEAN-ness.