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A thematic and historical approach to the development of ethnic Chinese culture and society in Indonesia. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: University Press in 1918 in 235 pages; Subjects: Megalithic monuments; Ethnology; Society, Primitive; Primitive societies; Indonesia; History / Ancient / General; History / Military / Vietnam War; History / Asia / Southeast Asia; Social Science / Anthropology / General; Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural; Social Science / Archaeology; ... Read more

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In power since 1965, Indonesia's New Order government has formulated distinctive policies for cultural development. What effect have these policies had on individual artists and on art forms? This collection of fifteen essays explores the theme in the areas of literature, drama, film, television, painting, contemporary art, architecture, music, and language. The essays touch on current debates about the role of the artist in Indonesian society and discuss recent trends in the various genres. ... Read more

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Carried on the warm breezes of a sultry tropic night, the scent of kretek - Indonesia's indigenous clove cigarette - is the aromatic soul of a nation, the fragrant embodiment of all things Indonesian.

Bringing together tobacco from the New World and spices from the Old, kretek is a product of extraordinary historical circumstances, but its home is Indonesia, where the lingering traces of its distinctive aroma are an ever-present part of everyday life.

Featuring a magnificent selection of specially-commissioned photographs and an equally fascinating collection of rare maps, paintings, prints and other archival images, Kretek: The Culture and Heritage of Indonesia's Clove Cigarettes tells the remarkable story of kretek from its origins as a remedy for asthma to its ascendancy as a cultural icon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Trip!
This book is an incredible journey in picture and word thru Indonesian history, a wonderful "coffeetable" book, but also a fascinating perspective on third world, subsistance economy, growth and the lack thereof.The nostalgia of the early travels and trade route thru the Spice Islands wafts from every page and picture like sweet incense.There is nothing more satisfying, however politically incorrect, than a tasty Kretek coupled with sweet, black tea and heavy cream!The faces of these beautiful people, aged, yet energetic, with a determinism unseen outside of Kansas, their portraits alone are worth the price! ... Read more

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Written for those who sincerely want to enter the cultureof Jakarta for long periods of time and be at home there, this volumecovers the city's history and politics, giving penetrating insightsinto how people in the city think, behave, and communicate, as well asvaluable advice on how to find a residence, conduct business, andrelax in Jakarta. Above all, it explains the daily life of Jakarta tohelp readers adapt quickly and happily. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Must read for travelers to Jakarta
This is the third copy of this book that I have purchased for various relatives. If you plan to spend any time at all in Jakarta, this book is right on in its discription of life in Indonesia's capital city. If you don't plan to move to Jakarta you can probably skip over some of the parts about finding housing and other accounts of full time life in Jakarta. But don't skip over parts about the customs and life styles of the native people. These chapters can help you avoid some very awkward situations and much embarrassment. (Those of you who are left handed, like me, may find it useful to tie your "disgusting" left arm behind your back until you get used to doing everything right handed. Good luck with that.)The book is written in a lighthearted style that is easy to read. I enjoyed the book very much and so have all my relatives who received it from me in anticipation of upcoming trips.

Jakarta - What a Culture Shock!!!!

Knowing NOTHING about Indonesia, I purchased this the first week of living in Jakarta.LIFE SAVER!!!

Extremely negative!
The writer thinks he's extremely intelligent and clever, but he's really kind of a self-centered jerk.The really strange thing is that he seems to hate everything about Jakarta.At times, I was thinking to myself, "If you hate it so much, why did you LIVE there for so long!?"

In some parts of the book, he manages to be completely incoherent while simultaneously thinking he's clever.This is a direct quote from the book:

"As you might have gathered, in Indonesia, Java wears the trousers. And if Java is a pair of trousers, then Jakarta must be the zip area."

No, I didn't gather that.In fact, I thought about it for a long time, and even asked a couple of other people, and I still have no idea what that means.How is Jakarta like a crotch?And if it is like a crotch, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Excellent!
I grew up in Jakarta & I got this book just to see what the author would say about my home city. Derek Bacon is spot on. Not only that, he shows a real appreciaton & understanding of the city's quirks and the people. This is one of the best books I've read on Jakarta & I would recommend it to anyone going over there.

Garuda In-Flight Magazine Review by David Jardine
Derek Bacon knows Jakarta well, and indeed Indonesia. He has 'been there, done that' and is qualified to comment. In this fiesty volume he sets out his stall plainly and very readably, taking the reader into the heart of the matter of what it is like to be a foreigner - at least a 'bule' Western foreigner - living and working in this collar-rubbing clamshell of a city.

In the 'blurb' on the back cover he describes Jakarta as 'a frankly mad city' but then proceeds to take the intending newcomer, for whom this book is meant, on a colourful tour that demonstrates how you can come to terms with its 'insanity'.

Although he gets one or two things wrong - Bogor is not the world's wettest place, Cherrapunji in India is - the gist is very accurate and well-informed. Bacon has certainly observed the Big Mango in fine detail and is particularly good on the warp of street life, which he captures right down to the last 'gerobak' or hand cart. Any incoming foreigner could learn a great deal, for instance, by reading his descriptions of the many hawkers that will inevitably pass the house on an average day. Whether he has actually eaten all the food he describes and in all the types of places he mentions is beside the point - he knows what he is talking about.

Culture shock ? If you have never suffered it and can't imagine what it is then this volume will alert you. Take the vexed matter of 'personal space', which many Westerners, especially Anglos, value so much. Bacon rightly insists that if you do not come to terms with the fact that in Jakarta you are never really alone - the 'pembantu' insisting on mopping the toilet the moment you leave it - you will 'go out of your mind'. Better it is to come forewarned and forearmed. Indonesians simply do not understand 'privacy' in the European sense and find it hard to come to terms with the man or woman who values solitude.

'Hello Mister'. Ever been 'Hello Mister'-ed to death by children of all ages ? If you haven't then Bacon can enlighten you on the danger lurking on every city street. Of course the 'bule' is exotic. Taller on average, sometimes more buxom or pot-bellied, often blonde and blue-eyed, bushy-bearded, fast moving, flamboyant, he or she is ever so likely to be a sore thumb in a society that notionally at least welcomes conformity. What you have to learn is to screen it all out. It is not easy and Bacon is spot-on in telling the reader so.

Hassles abound. One would have to be an ostrich to ignore the fact that vigilantism is a factor here. The author wisely counsels not going out of one's way to annoy people, lest one finds a large group arriving to exact retribution.

Bacon editorialises freely and certainly hits some sensitive buttons. His reference to 'the immorally rich' would not pleased the New Order and probably does not endear him to that heady class of satraps we all know too well even now.If you are just arriving, the gap between rich and poor may be beyond your prior experience, but perhaps some caution is in order here. Modern Britain, for one, demonstrate an alarming social divide on a similar sort of scale.

The book is essentially about getting the best out of your time here. It is not for the veteran expat, the kind of person who has not really been 'home' for donkeys' years and who has hung his hat in every port from Lagos to Yokohama. Neither is it for Indonesians, although to be sure many an Indonesian might find it illuminating to 'see themselves as others see them'. No, it is for the perhaps somewhat nervous first-timer heading for these shore, and it would not be a bad idea if every company recruiting personnel for Indonesia made it compulsory reading.

Good value.

(Review by David Jardine and originally appeared in Garuda In-Flight magazine and Jakarta Kini magazine).
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Most of the earlier studies on the Indonesian political party, Golkar, tend to view the organisation solely as an electoral machine used by the military to legitimise its power. However, this study is different in that it considers Golkar less an electoral machine and more as a political organisation that inherited the political traditions of the normal Muslim parties and the Javanese governing elite pre-1965, before the inauguration of Indonesia's New Order. Golkar, then, is seen in this book as nominal Islam with a military element that tends to differentiate it from previous political parties in the country. ... Read more

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This book examines popular culture in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and the third largest democracy. It provides a full account of the key trends since the collapse of the authoritarian Suharto regime (1998), a time of great change in Indonesian society more generally. It explains how one of the most significant results of the deepening industrialization in Southeast Asia since the 1980s has been the expansion of consumption and new forms of media, and that Indonesia is a prime example of this development. It goes on to show that although the Asian economic crisis in 1997 had immediate and negative impacts on incumbent governments, as well as the socioeconomic life for most people in the region, at the same time popular cultures have been dramatically reinvigorated as never before. It includes analysis of important themes, including political activism and citizenship, gender, class, age and ethnicity. Throughout, it shows how the multilayered and contradictory processes of identity formation in Indonesia are inextricably linked to popular culture. This is one of the first books on Indonesia's media and popular culture in English.It is a significant addition to the literature on Asian popular culture, and will be of interest to anyone who is interested in new developments in media and popular culture in Indonesia and Asia. ... Read more

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In these studies, scholars from the United States and Indonesia identify some of the cultural roots of Indonesian political behavior. The authors, representing the fields of anthropology, history, and political science, explore the ways in which traditional institutions, beliefs, values, and ethnic origins affect notions of power and rebellion, influence political party affiliations, and create new modes of cultural expression.Using two different but contemporary approaches, the authors show what can be learned about Indonesia through use of the Western concepts of "culture" and "politics." Professors Lev, Liddle, and Sartono illustrate how much can be gained from presenting Indonesian life in Western terms, while Professors Abdullah and Anderson contrast Indonesian and Western ideas. In an Afterword, Clifford Geertz reflects on the questions raised in these essays by discussing the tense relationships between Indonesian political institutions and the cultural framework in which they exist.CLAIRE HOLT was, until her death in 1970, Senior Research Associate of the Modern Indonesia Project, Cornell University. In Indonesia she served as assistant to the late Dr. W.F. Stutterheim, the noted archaeologist and cultural historian. She lectured extensively in Europe, the Far East, and the United States on Indonesian culture, and worked as a researcher and training specialist for the US Department of State. ... Read more

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Indonesia's New Order government has held power since 1966. What explains such extraordinary longevity? How much longer is it likely to last? This bok charts the origins and the recent course of the New Order. It firstly analyses the extraordinary leadership skills of President Suharto, who has managed for thirty years to accumulate and mobilise a winning combination of political resources of coercion, exchange, persuasion, and organisation. More specifically, Suharto's genius as a political entrepreneur, first in the mid 1960s and then in moments of crisis since, has been his ability to see that a political order based on military dominance, with himself at the head, could be built and maintained with resources acquired through market-oriented economic policies.If the effective leadership of Suharto-who was born in 1921-is the primary explanation for New Order longevity, will there be a change of regime after he leaves office? Is Indonesia likely to become more democratic, more authoritarian, or politically unstable? How will political change affect the market-oriented economic policies that have been responsible for a quarter century of growth? Several chapters examine th ... Read more

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The major Islamic organizations that have appeared in Indonesia in the twentieth century-Sarekat Islam, Muhammadijah, Nahdlatul Ulama and Masjumi-have all been representatives of the group that emphasizes traditional Middle Eastern Islamic beliefs and practices. All have been concerned with the primacy of Islamic law, even though their concepts of just what constituted that law were vague and different from one another. All have maintained that religious values are so important that the state should be responsible for assuring the adoption of such values throughout Indonesian society, although again there has been no common concept of what these values actually are or just what the state was to do about them. All have been convinced that the traditional Islamic values are correct and that all of Indonesian society should come to accept this premise, but there has been a wide variety of interpretations as to just how these traditional values should be implemented in contemporary Indonesian life.The value of the Persatuan Islam as a topic for scholarly research lies not in its organization, for it was small and loosely knit, nor does it lie in its participation in Indonesian political life over the past forty-five years, for its activity was incidental and peripheral to the mainstream of political developments. Although its role in religious education made some impact on Indonesian Muslims, it has been far less influential than several other organizations. In the same manner, its press has been influential at times but has never attained the stature and readership among Indonesians accorded the publications of several other Muslim organizations. Rather, the Persatuan Islam is important because it has attempted to define for Indonesian society just what it is that constitutes Islam, what the basic principles of that religion are, and what constitutes proper religious behavior for Muslims. In this presentation, the Persatuan Islam has avoided vague concepts and generalizations-somewhat unusual in Indonesia-and has dealt with the details and substance of religious behavior in Indonesia. Its members have propounded very definite views toward traditional Indonesian culture, toward developments occurring in the twentieth century, toward "Western" culture and toward traditional Muslim religious thought and practices. ... Read more

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Indonesia is a country know for its beauty and cultural accomplishments. Now readers can delve into the specifics of Indonesia and find out what fascinating beauty it has to offer. Topics include the customs, religions, music, and fashion—that makes it so

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Many color photographs. Compilation of speeches given at different times and for different audiences. ... Read more

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Chapters: Areca Nut, Indonesian Philosophy, Indonesian Cuisine, Wayang, Culture of Indonesia, Javanese Calendar, Paan, Pancasila, Betel, Kretek, Trail of Civilizations, Kecak, Gotong Royong, Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, Javanese Beliefs, Budaya, Dukun, Chinese Indonesian Culture, Tombo Ati, Archi ... Read more

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With the insights provided in this Culture Shock! Guide, you'll learn to see beyond the stereotypes and misinformation that often precede business travel to foreign land. Whether you plan to stay for a week or for a year, you'll benefit from such topics as understanding the rules of driving and monetary systems, building business relationships and the particular intricacies of setting up an office. ... Read more