Would the real Undagi please stand up? On the social location of Balinese architectural knowledge

Abstract

Would the Real Undagi Please Stand up? On the Social Location of Balinese Architectural KnowledgeThe 'beautiful structures of wood and stone' (Lansing 1983:51) which constitute the traditional architecture of Bali are one of the more visible signs of the tenacity of tradition on the island, and a consistent source of pride to locals, delight to visitors and profit to tourism operators. While there is a substantial body of literature on the other arts in Bali, that on architecture is surprisingly sparse. Such literature as there is -English and Indonesian, popular and scholarly -tends to recycle, sometimes less than critically, a few themes that have been fairly well-worn for over sixty years. These are: a system of orientarion to cosmic axes, a three-fold hierarchical division of space, a corresponding layout of buildings within courtyards, and a system of measurements based upon the human body (

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