Erotic triangles : Sundanese dance and masculinity in West Java /

This is another valuable contribution in the "Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology" series. A key distinction of Spiller's book is its focus on dance rather than music. Spiller (music, Univ. of California, Davis) draws from three decades of experience with Indonesian music to examine the phenomenon of men's affinity with dance in Sundanese culture. His exploration deals with music from the simplest of traditional forms to the most modern pop style, dangdut. Spiller's primary aim is to understand why men are so comfortable with dance in nearly any context. To explain this phenomenon, he draws primarily from Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's Between Men (CH, Oct'85), which looks at dance in a European context. Sedgwick's work was inspired by a model of power put forth by Rene Girard, which Spiller interprets in relation to Sundanese dance and masculinity. This theoretical book is not for the casual reader; it assumes familiarity with Sundanese culture. The photos and musical figures that complement the discussion are necessary for a clear understanding of the material. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. A. C. Shahriari Kent State University