European incursions into Southeast Asia occurred during a period of extraordinary cultural efflorescence in the archipelago’s sultanates, that became known as the era of the pesisir or ‘coastline’. At this time, the great port emporiums such as Banten, Melaka and Aceh became international centres of cultural exchange and artistic activity whose wealth and sophistication astonished the European newcomers. This talk will examine the rise of the Islamic pesisir courts, their eventual demise under Western colonialism, and the lasting heritage of pesisir art in Indonesia and Malaysia.
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