Pilger, Prostitutes and "ritual seks": Heterodox Ritual Practices in the Context of the Veneration of Saints in Java

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The focus on globalized forms of Islam (agama) has contributed to an undervaluing of the current and parallel boom in local, often heterodox ritual practices (adat). These ritual practices include forms of pilgrimage that encourage the performance of the sexual act on the tombs of saints, which is regarded as conductive to the redemption of the wishes and hopes associated with such a pilgrimage. The possible sexual partners of "ritual seks" include not only husband and wife but also other pilgrims to whom one is not married, and even prostitutes are regarded as completely legitimate partners. For a number of years, pilgrimage sites known for this remarkable conjunction of religion and sexuality have been experiencing an unprecedented boom in sharp contrast to the often diagnosed Islamization of Indonesian society. Against this background, this project emphazises the simultaneity of orthodox and heterodox trends within Islam and analysis their interaction in regard to the glocal transformations to which they contribute.