Showing the Unseen: A Meditation on Aesthetic Logic and Politics in Java

Abstract

This paper explores the intersection of aesthetic logic, politics, and spiritual identity in Java, Indonesia, by juxtaposing ethnographic observations with formal and narrative analyses of the 1981 supernatural film Ratu Ilmu Hitam (The Queen of Black Magic). It examines the aesthetic strategies used by dukuns (shamans) like Mas Dadang and their cultural implications, contrasting the theatricality and constructedness of their techniques with the naturalist conventions of Hollywood cinema. The study argues that such practices reflect a unique aesthetic logic that bridges the seen and unseen, shaped by historical and socio-political contexts from the New Order regime to the present. Through an analysis of filmic conventions and ethnographic encounters, the paper highlights how localized forms of representation challenge global cinematic norms while serving as tools for negotiating religious identity, power, and social values. This approach underscores the ongoing relevance of Javanese aesthetics in mediating cultural and political dynamics, both in mass media and everyday practices.