Speaking of the Spiritual: An Exploration of Knowledge and Pedagogy in Performing Arts in Malang, East Java.

The article focuses on the spiritual knowledge, or ilmu, that gamelan music and dance performers in East Java imparted to the author during her ethnographic fieldwork from 2005 to 2007 and subsequent visits. It examines how performers' beliefs and practices surrounding ilmu serve as a pedagogical system that maintains local cultural identity in the face of globalization and increasing Islamic orthodoxy in Indonesia.