Bunda Maria, Queen of Larantuka: Some Historical Considerations

25/06/2008 - 15:30

25 June 2008
15.30 - 17.00 hrs, with drinks afterwards!

The Leiden Southeast Asia Seminar by Prof. Barbara Watson Andaya, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Hawai’i.

Mariology, the study of the veneration of Mary, has generated an enormous body of literature and over the centuries has been the topic of much debate. In Southeast Asia Mary's position in local Christianity has been well documented in the Philippines, but much less attention has been given to other Catholic communities, such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Because popular belief focuses on the role of Mary as an intercessor, special value is attached to pilgrimages to sites where she is believed to have appeared or with which she has a personal association. The city fathers of Larantuka, eastern Flores, would very much like their town to join Fatima and Lourdes and to be internationally known for its unique relationship to Bunda Maria, Mother Mary. She is regarded not merely as Larantuka's patron but as its Queen, most evident at Easter when thousands of pilgrims flock to view her image, an opportunity only possible once a year.

This presentation is intended as very much a work-in-progress, a transition from my previous research on women in early modern Southeast Asia to my new project, a comparative overview of Christianity in Southeast Asia, with a special focus on its position as a "minority religion" outside the Philippines and Timor Loro Sae. While including some comparative remarks, the presentation will offer some historical explanations for the special status of Bunda Maria in Larantuka, arguing that this was a combination of Church promotion, popular acceptance, and state promotion.

Venue: KITLV, Room 138, Reuvensplaats 2, 2311 BE, Leiden

For more information on this seminar please contact Saskia Jans at s.jans@let.leidenuniv.nl or 071-527 5490

The Leiden Southeast Asia Seminar is a cooperation of the IIAS, ISIM, VVI, KITLV and the Department of Cultural Anthropology & Development Sociology, Leiden University