How did this non-Muslim white American woman stumble upon this topic?

I have long been a fan of dangdut, Indonesia's often-derided popular dance music, and have performed as a dangdut singer at Indonesian cultural events in the US. Apart for my personal taste, dangdut is a rich field for the study of gender and class dynamics in independent Indonesia.

While watching dangdut videos on YouTube, a video of an all-female band (unheard of in dangdut) wearing matching Islamic attire (also very uncommon) appeared in my suggestions feed. I was intrigued. This was Qasima, a Magelang-based qasidah/dangdut crossover group.

This was in Spring 2016. Since then, I have researched the history and present trajectory of the qasidah tradition that forms the basis of all-women groups like Qasima. My Summer 2018 CWPS Fellowship allowed me to conduct interviews, attend concerts, and meet fans of qasidah musicians in Central Java.