Embodying the Divine and the Body Politic: Mak Yong Performance in Rural Kelantan, Malaysia

Mak yong is a form of Malay drama that is associated with the cultural zone of the former Pattani Sultanate that spans the southern Thai provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani, and the northern Malaysian states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah. Mak yong is traditionally performed in an archaic form of Kelantanese, or Pattani Malay, a regional dialect of Malay. Mak yong performers are predominantly women, donning both male and female roles. Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, or PAS—the Islamic party that controls Kelantan—has enforced an official ban on mak yong in the Malaysian state since 1991. PAS officials argue that mak yong has its origin in pre-Islamic belief, encourages the worship of entities besides Allah, and objectifies women.