HISTORY, MEMORY, AND ISLAM THROUGH THE ANIMAL: THE ZOOMORPHIC IMAGINARY IN CIREBON

Abstract

Animals, when mined for metaphors, make good custodians of spirituality. Focusing on Cirebon, this thesis explores how history and memory are recounted through the prism of the animal, to which I call the “zoomorphic imaginary”. Situated along north coastal Java, an area where Islam was established early, Cirebon is replete with animal imagery. From tigers to composite beasts, the zoomorphic imaginary presents an array of creatures with which to extol Islam and to reminisce about Cirebon’s past. Often idealised, this past is as historical as it is present. It harks back to a specific time, when Cirebon was a burgeoning port and an Islamic centre. By looking into the zoomorphic imaginary, this thesis argues that animals make complex history and esoteric knowledge of Islam memorable. Operating as a mnemonic device, the zoomorphic imaginary reveals a site where history and aspiration are mutually constitutive and a past that is creatively remembered.