Priests and Programmers: Technologies of Power in the Engineered Landscape of Bali

by J. Stephen Lansing, William C. Clark (Foreword)

For the Balinese, the whole of nature is a perpetual resource: through centuries of carefully directed labor, the engineered landscape of the island's rice terraces has taken shape. According to Stephen Lansing, the need for effective cooperation in water management links thousands of farmers together in hierarchies of productive relationships that span entire watersheds.


Lansing describes the network of water temples that once managed the flow of irrigation water in the name of the Goddess of the Crater Lake. Using the techniques of ecological simulation modeling as well as cultural and historical analysis, Lansing argues that the symbolic system of temple rituals is not merely a reflection of utilitarian constraints but also a basic ingredient in the organization of production.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, History, Sociology, Indonesian Literature

216 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 1991

About the author

John Stephen Lansing

Reviews

[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fascinating study of the interaction between ritual practice at "water temples" and irrigated agriculture in Bali but felt strangely incomplete and at times ad-hoc in its reasoning. Not much discussion of whether/how the water temple system leads to its own forms of marginalization. Many stimulating thoughts about the role of ritual in social reproduction, but I think I wanted a more sophisticated discussion of this in relation to modernity and the state.

[Connor Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an altogether fascinating account of the system of water temples in Bali and their foundational role in irrigation management for rice fields. I keep searching for an analogous institution, but I am coming up short.

Green revolution technologies are not panacean; they must be combined with local knowledge and respect the local ontology of land. Even if you're not a student of or deeply interested in the Green Revolution, I would recommend this book.

[Adisudewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains some (but no so comprehensive) description about Subak. Lansing wrote too much about the priest of Pura Batur and too little about the economic benefits and drawback of Subak. I also read some academic papers that dispute Lansing's main conclusions. While I am not in the capacity to judge the academic arguments, I strongly recommend any reader with academic background to evaluate both this book and the papers challenging it. There is another book by Lansing on the same subject ("Perfect Order") that I hope is better than this one

[Dharma Iswara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant study of how ancient the social and technical aspects of water management systems in Bali, inextricably bound with nature and religion....

[Nghia12a1]

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[Karib · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fascinating subject somewhat marred by the author's repetitive writing.