The Colonialization of Batik
By: Priscilla Indrayadi
Tags: Cultural Studies, Art, Indonesia, Cultural Appropriation, Analysis

Moving on, apart from Batik being traded and exported into different cultures, there has been many discussions on the topic of cultural appropriation. One of the most popular and luxurious high-fashion brands, Christian Dior, uses African Batik textiles to produce lush, expensive clothing and accessories for their “Cruise 2020” campaign, claiming to reinterpret wax fabrics and “bringing a mix of cultures together”.[15] In reference to this statement, a connection could be made with Gayatri Spivak’s concept of strategic essentialism, which is an imperial tactic where minorities mobilize on the basis of a shared cultural, gender, and political identity to represent themselves — when their real identities are based on their differences.[16] In this case, Dior is essentializing African, Indonesian, and the many other cultures that practice Batik, by thinking that they could mix distinct cultures together.

Figure 4: Youssef Boudlal/Reuters. The setting of the Dior cruise 2020 show at El Badi palace with bonfires to light the runway. (accessed from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/fashion/dior-cruise-marrakech.html)

The brand showcased these Batik clothing and accessories (see figure 1 and 2) on a runway in 2019 in Marrakech, specifically in the ruins of El Badi, decorated with water, fire, fake exotic birds, and faux thunderstorms to create an atmosphere featuring the rage of Mother Nature.[17] By doing this, the French brand is looking at Batik through Edward Said’s Orientalist lens. Without realizing, they have created a spectacle from a non-Western culture, an ancient ruined site, and a historical heritage, which are then attributed to nature and wildness.

In Edward Said’s book, he argues that there are three main meanings for what Orientalism is. First, it can be seen as an academic tradition, which means that the Oriental is a subject to be studied. Secondly, it is a European invention in which “the Orient” and “the Occident” is differentiated through epistemological and ontological values. In this case, the Orient represents the East; such as Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and the Occident represents the West. Finally, Said writes that the third meaning of Orientalism is characterized by the assertion of power of the West to the East.[18] Essentially, this distinction between the Orient and Occident creates a form of prejudice, which derives from the fictional qualities that culturally represent the Oriental people. The Orient are represented to be primitive, irrational, violent, and inferior towards the Occident. In this case, to be “enlightened”, the Orient must then replace their own values with the progressive and rational ideas that are presented in the West, which would then lead to the understanding that enlightenment would only occur if they are Western-influenced.[19]

Orientalism continues today and can be seen in vast amounts of exhibitions like Dior’s, however, the lack of realization regarding this issue causes it to seem unproblematic. Unquestionably, Orientalism shapes, not only how the West views the East, but also how the East views themselves, and this is an important element that most are unaware of. Apart from this, it is important to note that most of the guests of the runway show are famous, high-status celebrities who are most likely to be white. The models walking down the runway were of different ethnicities, ranging from Asian, African, Western, and Latin American, emphasising on Dior’s claim of bringing together a mix of cultures. However, this instead creates a bigger spectacle of the show. This further suggests the exoticisation of the “Orient”, or the non-West.

There has been plenty of criticism against Dior regarding this issue. The reason why it has caused such controversy is partly because of the many local African artists who have dedicated their lives to use the Batik technique and rebranding them, however, failed due to lack of exposure. But when a major high-fashion brand like Dior tries, it is instantaneously successful in rebranding them in an expensive manner. Meanwhile, traditional Batiks are being sold in Africa and other continents for fairly low prices. Seeing this happen, plenty of Africans immediately accuse the brand as culturally appropriating their traditional textiles and taking advantage of the culture as a means to attract more Western customers who also view the world with the Oriental lens subconsciously.

But another question that could be asked from this is what does it then mean for the other cultures that practice Batik as tradition? Dior has claimed to have worked with Uniwax, an African company that still produces Batik traditionally, as opposed to the “cheap” and digitally produced ones. This is aimed to produce the image that Dior is supporting traditional African culture. However, one of Dior’s designers have said that “[when the wax] is properly used, people will understand that it is part of luxury,”[20] which explains clearly that the underlying reason why they have chosen to work with a local company is to display luxury, not tradition. It is important to recognize the words “cheap” and “luxury” that are being used to describe the issue. It highlights the very fact that Batik, initially a cultural heritage, has now been capitalized and monetized for the means of opulence. In the Vogue article, it is also written of how this textile is traced back originally from Indonesia, exported by the Dutch colonies.

This issue can be supported by Anibal Quijano’s concept of the coloniality of power, which is fundamental to unpack the complexity of coloniality. Quijano suggests that despite the elimination of political domination, the relationship between the West and the colonized remain to be colonial domination. Colonialism was a system of repression, in which the colonizers expropriated the colonized’s knowledge, work, and products. He also writes that the high cultures in colonized countries were not only put and placed subordinately through the European lens, but also by the eyes of the bearers,[21] also mentioned in Said’s “Orientalism”. Moreover, the coloniality of power is also responsible in the creation of the Eurocentric hierarchy, which enforces Eurocentric economy, as he writes that “Europe’s hegemony over the new model of global power concentrated all forms of control of subjectivity, culture, and especially knowledge and the production of knowledge under its hegemony” in his book “Coloniality of Power, Eurocentrism, and Latin America”.[22] This highlights that the Dior exhibition is an exemplar for this Eurocentric domination, as a European production of African fabrics are priced higher, considered fancier and decadent, compared to the local African productions of the fabrics.

Furthermore, this controversial issue is complex because in a way, one cannot argue that Dior is appropriating a certain culture, because Batik itself is a tradition lost and overlooked in history. Therefore, they are taking advantage of this confusion, and collaborating with African artists and calling it African textile instead of Batik in the hopes that it will make it more acceptable. When in reality, Dior’s designers and directors are well aware that the African wax technique had originated from Indonesia, but they gave no credit for it. In Stuart Hall’s “Cultural Identity and Diaspora”, he writes that vis-á-vis the developed West, postcolonial countries are viewed to be “very much the same”. Africa and Indonesia, both “belong to the marginal, the underdeveloped, the periphery, the ‘Other’”.[23] This omits the uniqueness of Batik and ignores the different tribes, ethnicities, and rich cultural histories within each Batik fabrics, both in Africa and Indonesia.

According to Gayatri Spivak’s infamous essay “Can the Subaltern Speak?”, the subaltern, whom she believes belongs to third world countries, are unable to speak up as they themselves are divided by gender, class, caste, region, religion, and other categories, which prevents them from standing up in unity.[24] This explains the need for the West to represent the Orient, as opposed to the Orient representing themselves, as Anne Grosfilley, who introduced Chiuri to Uniwax, have said that Dior’s collaboration will “put in the light the talent of Africa”,[25] which further emphasizes on the West’s Orientalist views.

Using this concept, Batik artists and smaller Batik companies are unable to overtake Dior’s mindless cultural appropriations as they themselves do not have the voice. By uniting as one and standing up to claim cultural possessions would only meet Spivak’s essentialism and deny the cultural differences within Batik and amongst the people. On the other hand, not standing up would satisfy the Eurocentric domination that remains pervasive today. The topic of debate opens up a string of discussions on cultural appropriations of the non-West, and how very often people are unaware of it.

It is without doubt that although the reign of the West and colonialization is well in the past, coloniality is still very much present. Here, Batik is used as a medium to bridge the gap between culture and coloniality. As a form of art, Batik is one that has crossed beyond many boundaries, including territorial boundaries, the Western canon, and the boundaries of history. Using colonial and postcolonial concepts and ideas from Stuart Hall, Gayatri Spivak, Edward Said, and Anibal Quijano, the colonialization of Batik can be understood through Christian Dior’s line of clothing and accessories made from African Batik, as well as linking the concepts with artists like Yinka Shonibare. However, there are still plenty of examples where traditional forms of art are culturally appropriated through the Orientalist view, which has lead to the exoticization of not only the form of art, but all the cultures as well. The Eurocentric domination still remains present today, because traditional Batik making communities still strive to produce beautiful Batik which are only sold for cheap prices. The reason behind this is because their knowledge production systems are undervalued when compared to the systems in the West. With this, there is an endless cycle of coloniality that is produced purely by cultural domination. Even though colonialization does no longer exist, but the remains of it still unconsciously invade the lives of the colonized. Through Spivak, it is important to understand that the colonized cultures are unique, different, and they do not share the same identities, but until today, the Orient are compelled to believe that they are one.

NOTES:

[1] Erin Blakemore, “What Is Colonialism?” National Geographic, June 14, 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/colonialism/

[2] Anibal Quijano, “Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality” Cultural Studies 21, no. 2–3 (2007)

[3] Juhri Selamet, “Indonesian Batik Translation: A Case Study.” International Journal of Visual Design 12, no. 3 (2018): 12

[4] “What Is Batik?” The Batik Guild, www.batikguild.org.uk/batik/what-is-batik.

[5] Selamet, “Indonesian Batik Translation: A Case Study.”

[6] Nava, Nadia. Il Batik: come tingere e decorare i tessuti diegnando con la cera. (Ulisse, 1991).

[7] “History of Batik,” The Batik Guild, https://www.batikguild.org.uk/batik/history-of-batik The Batik Guild is a non-profit organization based in the United Kingdom that aims to encourage appreciation and understanding of Batik.

[8] Gamal Thabroni, “Sejarah Seni Rupa Indonesia; Prasejarah Hingga Modern.” Serupa.id, Serupa.id, 13 Jan. 2020, serupa.id/sejarah-seni-rupa-indonesia-prasejarah-hingga-modern/#.Xh-uJFP7QUs.

[9] “What Is Batik?” The Batik Guild.

[10] Andrew Cross, and Mary Chou. “Shonibare, Yinka.” Grove Art Online, 1996, Grove Art Online.

[11] “Yinka Shonibare MBE: FABRIC-ATION.” Yorkshire Sculpture Park, ysp.org.uk/exhibitions/yinka-shonibare-mbe-fabric-ation.

[12] Cross, and Chou. “Shonibare, Yinka.”

[13] Stuart Hall, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora,” in Identity: Community, Culture, Difference, edited by Jonathan Rutherford (London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1990), 223.

[14] Ibid., 225.

[15] “Cruise 2020 Collection.” DIOR, www.dior.com/en_int/womens-fashion/cruise-2020-collection.

[16] Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin, Post-Colonial Studies Reader (London: Taylor & Francis, 2003), 214.

[17] Suzy Menkes, “#SuzyCruise: Dior Waxes Lyrical In Marrakech.” British Vogue, Condé Nast Britain, 1 May 2019, www.vogue.co.uk/article/suzycruise-dior-waxes-lyrical-in-marrakech.

[18] Edward Said, Orientalism (New York: Vintage Books, 197), 2–4

[19] Marandi, Seyed Mohammad, and Hossein Pirnajmuddin. 2009. “Constructing an Axis of Evil: Iranian Memoirs in the ‘Land of the Free’”. American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 26 (2), 24. https://www.ajis.org/index.php/ajiss/article/view/377.

[20] Suzy Menkes, “#SuzyCruise: Dior Waxes Lyrical In Marrakech.” British Vogue, Condé Nast Britain, 1 May 2019, www.vogue.co.uk/article/suzycruise-dior-waxes-lyrical-in-marrakech.

[21] Anibal Quijano, “Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality” Cultural Studies, 21: 2–3, 2007.

[22] Anibal Quijano, and Michael Ennis, “Coloniality of Power, Eurocentrism, and Latin America,” in Nepantla: Views from South 1, no. 3 (2000): 540.

[23] Hall, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora,” 227–228.

[24] Gayatri Spivak, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” in Post-Colonial Studies Reader, edited by Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin (London: Taylor & Francis, 2003), 27.

[25] Vanessa Friedman, “Dior and the Line Between Cultural Appreciation and Cultural Appropriation,” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 April 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/fashion/dior-cruise-marrakech.html.