Talisha Schilder
2023

This critical ethnographic research project explores the contemporary practice of indigenous tattoo traditions in the Indonesian Archipelago. While Indonesian tattoos almost went extinct under the Dutch colonial regime’s (1602-1949) anti-headhunting policies and Christian missionaries, as well as President Suharto’s New Order (1966-1998), one can observe a revival of Indonesian tattoo art in present-day Indonesia.

This project aims to understand how the designs, meanings, narratives, and practices of Mentawaian and Bornean tattoos – intertwined with Dutch and Indonesian cultural politics – have persisted, changed or disappeared over time.

To understand such complex cultural dynamics, it uses theories and methods from a range of academic disciplines and fields, especially Interpretative Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Ecofeminism, Political Geography, and History. The methods of data collection are conversational interviewing, participant observation, photography, audio-visual recording and auto-ethnographic journaling. New archival material is presented through snapshots of embodiment, especially photographs, audio-visual material, sound pieces of tattooing practices and storytelling accounts – conceptualising the tattooed body as an embodied archive. Inspired by Battaglia, Clarke and Siegenthaler (2020), such archival material offers an opportunity to deconstruct the colonial paradigm of older archival materials from European explorers through the counter-gaze of the research subjects.

Talisha Schilder is a critical ethnographer in training at Leiden University. After completing the MA International Relations cum laude with a specialization in cultural politics, she is finalising the Research Master Asian Studies (2022-2024) to prepare for her future PhD position. Under the supervision of Dr. Elena Burgos Martinez, her thesis explores the contemporary practice of Indonesian tattoo traditions. Her previous research work has been published and presented at various academic conferences such as the General ECPR Conference 2022 and the Young Scholars’ Symposium in Asian Art 2023. Talisha’s research interests include tattoos, the body, indigeneity, cultural politics, and intersectional (eco)feminism with a regional focus on Southeast Asia, especially the Muslim Malay World. A note on the researcher’s personal background and positionality. Being a heavily tattooed, queer feminist of mixed heritage (including Indonesian) in academia, Talisha values working towards equity, diversity and inclusion in her work and interpersonal relationships.