Abstrack:
The objective of this paper is to examine the gender implication of Islamic arts (qasidah) in Indonesia that developed in the 1970s as a movement supporting Islamic music, and benefited from a kind of patron-client relationship with the New Order (1965-98). Its goal was (and to some extent, still is) to present government programs so that they were in accordance with the norms and values of Islam. Today the activists are mostly composed of women, but from the 1970s until the early 80s men dominated this movement. In the mainstream performance of Islamic music there is a clear differentiation between male and female, both in physical terms and also in the lyrics considered appropriate. However, the flexibility of these conventions in Lasqi illuminates the nuances of moderate Islam in Indonesia by showing how performances of the same musical genre can reflect different cultural contexts. In considering qasidah?s history and development, this research attempts to answer the following questions: How does the gender content of qasidah relate to Islamic attitudes towards the performing arts? How are women represented in qasidah performance? How does the audience respond to gender relations as revealed in qasidah, both in performance and the lyrical texts? The material is drawn primarily from Java and Aceh, and is based on field research, visual recordings and interviews with several figures who have long been involved in qasidah as leaders, trainers, or performers.
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