The Javanese Way of Law

The Javanese Way of Law

Early Modern Sloka Phenomena

  • Author: Hoadley, Mason
  • Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
  • Serie: Asian History
  • eISBN Pdf: 9789048541898
  • Place of publication:  Amsterdam , Netherlands
  • Year of digital publication: 2019
  • Month: September
  • Pages: 256
  • Language: English
The author's investigation of early-modern Javanese law reveals that judicial authority does not come from the contents of legal titles or juridical texts, but from legal maxims and variations thereof. A century and a half ago Simon Keyzer, a recognized scholar of Javanese law, noted that understanding of that law is dependent upon a grasp of such pithy expressions, which provide the key to the whole body of suits. (*Preface*, C.F. Winter, *Javaansche Zamenspraken*, 1858, which examines hundreds of *sloka*, the majority of which are directed to prevailing legal practice).Drawing upon the contents of 18th century Javanese legal texts, the present work builds upon Keyzer's and Winter's references to '*sloka*-phenomena', namely *sloka* proper (maxims) and its derivatives *sinalokan* (that made of *sloka*), *aksara* here meaning legal principles, and *prakara* (matter, case). These are usually conveyed in vignettes illustrating their function and as a group, constitute the essence of traditional Javanese written law.
  • Cover
  • Table of Contents
  • Section I: Law, Sloka, and Sources
    • 1. Traditional Law. Sloka in Pepakem
      • Javanese written law
      • Legal texts as pepakem
      • Generic pepakem and the Pepakem Cirebon of 1768
    • 2. Sloka in Javanese Titles
      • Manuscripts v. titles
      • Titles of the Sloka phenomena
      • Sloka
      • Slokantara tradition
        • Jimbun Slokantara
        • Combi Slokantara, Raja Niscaya, Wadigun Wangkara
      • Jugul Muda tradition
      • The Surya Alam challenge
      • The Kartasura Surya Alam and the van der Hout translation
      • Aksara
      • Sinalokan
        • Luwangan
        • Didactic sinalokan
      • Prakara
      • The Yogyakarta/Combi Surya Alam
      • Summary
  • Section II: Sloka Phenomena in Vignettes
    • 3. Sloka
      • Substance of a sloka
      • The second vignette
      • Interpretation
      • Verbal symbols
      • Sloka ratu
      • Sloka authority to punish
      • Conclusion
    • 4. Aksara
      • Origins
      • Aksara in the Jaya Lengkara
      • Aksara modes
        • Descriptive mode
        • Functional mode
        • Aksara of the right/truth
        • Aksara of the wrong
        • Rajâji mode
      • Sloka support for aksara
      • Aksara of a Surya Alam
      • Discussion
    • 5. Sinalokan
      • Sinalokan in the Jugul Muda
      • Other sources of sinalokan
      • Luwangan sloka
      • Kinawi
    • 6. Prakara
      • Carry-overs
      • Conclusion
    • 7. Vignettes and Practice
      • Vignettes
        • Jugul Muda and Jaya Lengkara vignettes
        • A triangle drama
        • Bok Ening/Ni Indun
        • Indelibly Dora
        • Ki Temen v. Ki Dora
        • Kartiguna/Japlak
        • Jimbun Era texts
          • Pun Dalu
          • Ni Guna v. Pun Tarka
          • Pun Bama v. Pun Diwal
      • Practice
        • Karta Nagara v. Karta Dinata et.al. 1722
        • State v. Wira Wadana and Tanu Patra, 1715
        • Kandurahan Panembong v. Suba Mangala of 1714/15
        • Puspa Nagara/Wisa Truna affair of 1717
  • Section III: Character, Apparent Demise, and Context
    • 8. Character
      • Sloka phenomena as unique
      • Goal
      • Selectivity
      • Autonomous law
    • 9. Context
      • ‘Rumors of my demise…’
        • Sloka and adat
      • Sloka phenomena today
        • Past in the present
        • Aji Saka lives!
        • Ramalan: contemporaneous Islamic moral wisdom
  • Section IV: End Material
    • Appendix I. The Problematic Pepakem Tjerbon
    • Appendix II. Classic Sloka
    • Appendix III. Titles ‘Left Out’
    • Appendix IV. Diverse Components
    • Abbreviations
    • Sources Consulted
    • Index
  • List of Tables
    • Table 2.1 The Surya Alam
    • Table 2.2 Dedicated and non-dedicated titles containing sloka phenomena
    • Table 4.1 Aksara
    • Table 4.2 Andhih-andhihan
    • Table 4.3 Uger-Uger (aksara salah)
    • Table 4.4 Aksara: punishment and sloka
    • Table 4.5 Surya Alam aksara and punishments
    • Table 5.1 Luwangan sinalokan
    • Table 6.1 Prakara evolution
    • Appendix I, Table 1 Manuscripts v. the Pepakem Tjerbon

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