Beyond Bali

Ethnography of Postcolonial Intimacy in Bali

This ethnography explores how Balinese citizens produce postcolonial intimacy—a complex interaction of claims to proximity and mutuality between themselves and the Dutch under colonialism that continues today.

Such claims, Ana Dragojlovic explains, are crucial for the diasporic reconfiguration of kebalian, or Balinese-ness, a concept that encompasses the personal, social, and cultural complexities involved in Balinese identity in Dutch postcolonial society.

This identity enables Balinese migrants to see themselves as carriers of unique cultural traditions both promoted by and in disagreement with Dutch cultural values.