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Although Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world, its history is still relatively unknown. Adrian Vickers takes the reader on a journey across the social and political landscape of modern Indonesia, starting with the country's origins under the Dutch in the early twentieth-century, and the subsequent anti-colonial revolution which led to independence in 1949. Thereafter the spotlight is on the 1950s, a crucial period in the formation of Indonesia as a new nation, followed by the Sukarno years, and the anti-Communist massacres of the 1960s when General Suharto took over as president. The concluding chapters chart the fall of Suharto's New Order after thirty two years in power, and the subsequent political and religious turmoil which culminated in the Bali bombings in 2002.Adrian Vickers is Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Wollongong.He has previously worked at the Universities of New South Wales and Sydney, and has been a visiting fellow at the University of Indonesia and Udayana University (Bali). Vickers has more than twenty-five years research experience in Indonesia and the Netherlands, and has travelled in Southeast Asia, the U.S. and Europe in the course of his research. He is author of the acclaimed Bali: a Paradise Created (Penguin, 1989) as well as many other scholarly and popular works on Indonesia.In 2003 Adrian Vickers curated the exhibition Crossing Boundaries, a major survey of modern Indonesian art, and has also been involved in documentary films, including Done Bali (Negara Film and Television Productions, 1993). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good for a quick overview of Indonesian modern politics
I read this book to prep for a business school paper I was writing for a global economics final project.I needed a complete summary of Indonesian modern history as quickly as possible.

This book provided the facts that I needed and proved to be a fast and easy read. Some of the timelines traced in the book got a bit confusing, but once I had the background details, I found other online timelines to help with clarification of names and dates.Nothing on line provided, however, provided the detail of this book.It was invaluable in giving me information about politics in Indonesia.

I do not recommend this as a fun or relaxing read, but if you are searching for facts and general knowledge about Indonesian politics, this book is a good start.

10 Things I learned from A History of Modern Indonesia
1. History is best told when it isn't a litany of dates and places and names.

2. History is better told when it attempts to describe the zeitgeist of the era, when it makes a time and place alive for you.

3. Vickers accomplishes this in describing the history of modern Indonesia, from the late colonial period to the present day. He includes the important dates, but takes special care to note the discourses and debates that shaped the events, and the daily lives of the poor and the rich and those struggling to hold their place in between.

4. I read this book for my research, but found it so compelling that I began to read it for pleasure, a rare turn.

5. Vickers makes sense of the complex and often covert history of Indonesia, which has experienced several volatile changes in the 20th century.

5. The radical shifts in leadership, ideology and policy - from colonialism to Sukarno's near-communism to the still-unsolved coup that confirmed Suharto's dictatorial technocracy, to the protests that overthrew him and invited a string of presidents in the last nine years -are illustrated by how it affected peoples' lives.

6. This is a history that takes into account the effect of political climate on art, literature, film and other manifestations of culture. It notes these arenas as both evidence for the contemporary mindset and as catalysts for change.

7. Vickers uses the voices of Presidents, the voices of laborers, and the voices of everyone in between to bring to life more than one hundred years of history.

8. Whereas other histories treat the cultural sphere and lived lives as separate matters, as anecdotes, as separate chapters, or not at all, Vickers' work is infused with these voices and cultures.

9. In addition, it offers the known history and biographies of important people who helped shape it.

10. One of the best books on Indonesian history that I've read, A History of Modern Indonesia is recommended to the scholarly as well as the curiousfor a comprehensive and compelling look at the recent history of the fourth largest country in the world.

A great read..if your interested in Indonesia's history..
My wife is Indonesian and I plan on going soon. So with the problems Indonesia seems to have, I thought it would be wise and educate myself with the people and history. Very good for people that might want to go on extended stays and try to understand the mind set of these people. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Essential update of classic text
This book is probably the main text anyone should get if they are interested in a thorough and nuanced view of Indonesian history. This edition is the newest edition so should be the preferred choice of readers interested in making sure they have the very latest information particularly for the post-Suharto period. ... Read more

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Indonesia Reader
Its not a history book; but a collections or snippits of informations, the average reader would get a very brief overview of Indonesia. Just a wetting of the tongue; and a shallow view. Read PRAMOEDYA ANANTA TOER (Buru Quartet - 4 books) and then this book. ... Read more

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Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, is now in the midst of dramatic upheaval. This history of Indonesia provides an overview from the prehistoric period to the present and explores the connections between the nation’s many communities and the differences that propel contemporary breakaway movements.

“Taylor’s approach challenges and opens the mind.”—Jaime James, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Taylor’s new book is groundbreaking: it takes us on a grand journey from the earliest material cultures of the archipelago to Indonesia’s turbulent present.”—Laurie J. Sears, author of Shadows of Empire: Colonial Discourse and Javanese Tales

“Clear, erudite, and authoritative, this book provides a rich coverage of the vast tapestry of Indonesian society.”—Ben Kiernan, Yale University

“A rich and fascinating excursion into Indonesian history that is guided not only by the usual commanding authority of political events, but by the story of how different peoples, as communities, have interacted over the centuries to produce an Indonesia that, although diverse, can also be called a nation.”—Foreign Affairs

Jean Gelman Taylor is a senior lecturer in history at the University of New South Wales.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good introduction to history of Indonesia.
Good introduction to history of Indonesia.Not much information on pre-Islamic period, but that is because records written on palm leaves (lontar) did not survive; not this author's fault.This book served me well as preparation for a trip to Bali.

Ignores Indonesia's past
This book spends less than 60 pages describes the rich and diverse pre-Islamic past of Indonesia.The rest of the book treats Indonesia as if it has always been an Islamic state.But even into the late 19th century it was not a majority Muslim, until a series of ethnic-cleansing campaigns aimed at Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Chinese suceeded in making it so.

This book is basically a history of Islamic Indonesia and does'nt offer much to those interested in the great diversity of the country or of its rich and ancient history.

Seth J. Frantzman

GayBuddhistLawyer
While this has a lot to recommend it, the author seems to be excessively politically correct.It would seem that she has no familiarity with mainstream economic analysis, but is perhaps overly familiar with Marxist economics. She seems to feel that value is only created by farmers/laborers and needs to remind of it.Her many boxed digressions are interesting, but the one on Hinduism and Buddhism is so strange, that it did make me question the validity of her work in areas I'm less familiar with.She says that the Dutch did not try to convert the Islamic, Hindu or Buddhist Indonesians because they regarded Asians as essentially different (inferentially a racist outlook).I would like to know her source for this, since the pragmatic observation that there were far too many of them and they were too attached to their religions to make forced conversion possible seems like a much more obvious reason for the decision.

Quirky history for an eccentric nation
This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in Indonesia.It is not a standard sort of history, but its value lies in how the author brilliantly weaves together strands of Indonesia's prehistory, colonial history, and history as an independent nation--it reminds one of Churchill's maxim about the Balkans, that the region has to be a net exporter of history because it produces too much for local consumption.This book also demonstrates why the Australians are absolutely first-rate in Indonesian studies (look at a map--they have to be).Another huge plus are the extremely valuable capsule histories scattered throughout--little gems that capture small topics deftly.My only criticism is about the author's writing style:hardly "voluptuous" as one reviewer put it (what does voluptuous writing look like?)--but in fact it's fairly inelegant; the list approach to making your points. ... Read more

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Sutan Sjahrir, a man who would eventually become the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, was first involved in the nationalist movement as the leader of a group of youth from Jakarta during the Japanese Occupation. His intent was to prepare for the future struggle for independence. Legge's study is a reassessment both of the part played by the PSI (and specifically that part of it led by Sjahrir and comprised of intellectuals) in the Republic's formation and of the role played by intellectuals in transitional societies. In one particularly vivid section, the author presents and analyzes interviews with surviving members of the organization. Such a focus may be inherently biased, but Legge is concerned with historiography as well: the differences in methods of interpretation and analysis and in ideological preferences, which affect what is observed and how facts and evidence are relayed. 1988. 159 pages. ... Read more

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East Asia is now a centre of world attention politically as well as economically. One of its least known but potentially most important actors is Indonesia, whose vast territory of over 3000 islands proclaimed its independence after the ending of Japanese occupation in 1945. This concise but trenchant account of its history - the turbulent years under Sukarno followed by transformation, stability but international withdrawal under Suharto - is currently without a competitor. It provides an invaluable introduction to a republic which, under a younger, more self-confident generation, seems poised to assume a regional and global role commensurate with its status as the world's fourth most populous nation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

ACADEMIC BOOK REVIEW
Robert Cribb and Colin Brown, Modern Indonesia: A History Since 1945, London and NY: Longmans, 1995. 192pp. Rrp: AU$33.95.
Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Eyewitness: Protest Stories from Indonesia, Sydney: ETT Imprint, 1995. 139pp. Rrp: AU$14.95.

Reviewed by RON WITTON

Psychology tells us we can learn about the world either through the left side of the brain, which involves logic and reasoning, or through the right side by using creativity and imagination. The two books under review are examples of both approaches to an understanding of Indonesia now that 50 years have passed since independence.

Dynamic but authoritarian

Using logic, reasoning and a comprehensive knowledge of Indonesian history, Cribb and Brown provide an excellent overview of how Indonesia has become the dynamic but authoritarian society it is today. By focusing on structural themes and societal forces, rather than dates and personalities, they have managed to encapsulate Indonesia's often turbulent past into a coherent analysis. This analysis serves as a useful guide to the present and leads us into an understanding of the future Indonesia now faces.

For anyone who feels a lack of understanding of Indonesia's pre-revolutionary past, the book's first chapters provide a clear outline summary of the historical background to modern post-war Indonesia. Through a discussion of the collapse of Dutch colonialism, the Japanese occupation and the revolution, the major themes of Indonesia's more recent history are developed. Of particular use is their summary of the events of 1965 that so sharply divide Indonesia's post-independence history into the strikingly different Sukarno and Suharto periods.

Many Australians visit Indonesia and in museums and elsewhere, like ordinary Indonesians, they are indoctrinated with the 'official' version of the 30 September 1965 'coup' which sees those events as an attempted 'communist' overthrow of the state. However, Cribb and Brown very usefully summarise the evidence that points towards a much more complicated scenario in which elements of the army (and western intelligence) are intimately involved.

Cribb and Brown then analyse the twin elements of economic development and political repression that have guided the policies of the Suharto regime over these past thirty years. The events surrounding Indonesia's invasion of East Timor are outlined in detail, as are many other events that most Indonesians are restricted from learning about. Indeed, the author's discussion of such matters as the gross wealth accumulated by members of the president's family means that this book, like many other foreign analyses of contemporary Indonesian society, will not be translated into Indonesian and will not be allowed to be distributed within Indonesia.

The book concludes with a fascinating chapter 'Social Change and Future Prospects', which looks at the increasingly dysfunctional nature of the governmental system Suharto has called 'Pancasila Democracy'. It also examines changes in rural society, the growing middle class, changes in military doctrine, and the rise of Islam. The final section examines the role ethnicity plays in regional politics, and particularly focuses on Indonesia's trouble spots of Aceh, Irian Jaya and, of course, East Timor. I was surprised that when they examined (p.162) the exploitation by Jakarta of the natural resources in these three regions, which is an element in the disaffection felt by the people there, East Timor's oil resources are not mentioned. Australia's connivance in exploiting these resources is a continuing stain on our reputation as an international law- abiding nation.

... Read more

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This succinct work of history charts the growth of Indonesia, a remarkable nation of more than 6,000 inhabited islands. With lucid originality, the text incorporates more than 2 million years of history with depth and brevity-particularly focusing on Indonesia's development into a microcosm of a multi-ethnic modern world. Many current concerns are perceptively addressed, such as the legacy of European-Asian trade, Dutch colonialism, and the emergence of what has become the largest Muslim population in the world. ... Read more

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Covering the history of Bali from before the Bronze Age to the presidency of Megawati Sukarnoputri, this examination highlights the ethnic dynamics of the island and its place in modern Indonesia. Included is an analysis of the arrival of Indian culture, early European contact, and the complex legacies of Dutch control. Also explored are the island's contemporary economic progress and the environmental problems generated by population growth and massive tourist development. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

"A Short history" far too humble for this comprehesive and thoroughly documented account
Like Geoffrey Robinson's "Dark side of paradise", this book is one of the very few I read more than once and that I had to buy again because I gave my copy away. Pringle explains in his preface that he discovered that no history of Bali had yet been written and subsequently set out to fill in that gap. The book is very thoroughly documented which inevitably led Pringle to Leiden, Holland where the most important sources of Indonesian history are to be found, so apparently he masters the Dutch language which is quite remarkable. Being a Dutchman myself and having studied topics of Dutch colonial history in the same places, I can only be impressed by the skills of Pringle and Robinson. For the episode of transition from Sukarno to Suharto and the atrocities that came with it, Pringle relied - as he acknowledges - heavily on Robinson's studies. The book gives a nicely written account of the Balinese ancient and recent history up to the 'Kuta bombing' The book is a must for anyone interested in Indonesian history. It should be on the shelf of every Balinese and therefore deserves to be tranlated into Indonesian. It is always a sad discovery that these people don't know their own past. The joke says that Suharto taught his people hisstory. Pringle mentions a document that is considered by the Balinese as their ancient constitution. What he does not relate is that a copy of it is kept by a Dutch institution and that the Balinese Minister of culture recently suggested that it would be given back to the people who morally own it: the Balinese. The Dutch curator agreed that the Balinese are entitled to it but added: "If your offspring will come here in 300 years time they will still find it here and can study it; if I give it back it will not even take 5 years to disappear".

A short History of Bali
Sent to my son per his request.He thought book was very good.I cannot give you much more feedback - but sent promptly and arrived in good condition. Thanks, Ben Herb

Great introduction - Trust me, I'm Balinese!
I am Balinese, so I am delighted that there is a history of Bali.It is strange that this is one of the very few to be published. Up to now, the history of my island has mostly had to be pieced together from books on other topics. I have also made an attempt at a comprehensive history on my own web site. We cover much the same ground.

Robert Pringle writes in a clear, easy style and covers a large sweep in 231 pages - from Java Man 1.5 million years ago (no evidence he made it to Bali) to August 2003, when the first death sentence was passed on Amrozi, one of the terrorists responsible for the Bali bomb. It is not dry and academic - he talks about visits to Bali with his wife and historical sites. This gives the book a nice, personal touch. It would be a good read on holiday.

He starts by describing the geographical aspects of Bali and places the island in the context of South East Asia (a term not invented until the Second World War). He quotes the anthropologist Clifford Geertz, who called Bali "this snug, little amphitheater." He places history in context and sets out details of our unique social system.

Information on pre-Majapahit Bali, that is the period before 1343, is limited. There are not many records. Pringle sets out what is known or can be deduced. He discusses early Indian influences, which came from trading links. The rulers of the day adopted many aspects as politically useful. There are stone and copper inscriptions, which give the names of early kings and throw light on their social and political concerns. This is interesting background for those visiting the archaeological sites.

The Majapahit conquest of 1343 is, for many, the start of Balinese history. Majapahit has become a code word for Bali's Golden Age. Court poets wrote about it. Much of it may just have been poetry. The Dutch also nurtured their own myths about it and they have been faithfully trotted out in the books. Pringle is illuminating.

Bali is famous for its bright colours, vibrant forms and dramatic, emphatic rhythms. We Balinese tend to attribute these to the Majapahit Empire, but Pringle thinks that it is likely that these characteristics, which distinguish us from the Javanese, on the neighbouring island, date back to Old Bali.

Eventually nine independent kingdoms emerged. The Dutch, active in Java and elsewhere in the Archipelago from the 16th century, were not too interested in Bali, which was lucky for Bali, but in 1849, they conquered the northern half of the island and the rest was defeated by 1908. There was a lot of bloodshed.They arrived with a guilty conscience. Pringle sets out well the consequences of colonial rule. He is not biased as many books are on this subject. This is one of the best accounts I have read.

He comprehensively sets out the advent of Westerners and tourism from 1902-1942. There is not much that is new here, but it is a good summary for those new to the subject. Many of the artistic advances of the time took place in my village, Ubud.

He is brief on the Japanese Occupation from 1942-1945. Perhaps a bit more on this period would have been interesting.

The Indonesian Revolution culminated in independence in 1949 with Indonesia's first President, Sukarno, who was half-Balinese. The left-leaning Sukarno liked Bali and brought many famous people here. Pringle obviously delights in naming them. I remember that time. It was difficult for ordinary people, like me, and 1965-66 was the worst when there was an alleged communist coup, which was brutally suppressed by Suharto, and thousands were killed. Estimates range from 82,000 to more than 1 million throughout Indonesia. Pringle raises interesting questions and attempts to answer them: Why did it happen? Was it inevitable?

Suharto became President until 1998. Pringle deals with that time adequately. For Bali, the story was mostly about tourism and questions surrounding it, like the preservation of Balinese culture.

He mentions some things I did not know - which is always interesting - like the fact that Karl Marx said in1853 that Hinduism then being practised in Bali must have been similar to that which supported despotism in India before British rule.

He corrects assumptions that are often just repeated from one book to another. He points out that there is no evidence that the aboriginal Bali Aga people pre-dated the Hindus from the Javanese kingdom of Majapahit to Bali. Most guides and many others say they did. He also corrects a common misunderstanding about caste and explains that the term, which is always applied, is arguably inappropriate for what is no more than a status distinction. It was largely a product of colonial rule.

Pringle brings issues right up to date. I am pleased to say that he loves Bali and thinks that there is every reason to believe that we Balinese will surmount our present challenges. He thinks Bali will remain a literally wonder-full place to experience.

Read this book. I recommend it. It is interesting from many points of view. It will be an excellent introduction to anyone visiting Bali.

Murni ... Read more

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Indonesia is the home of the largest single Muslim community of the world. Its Christian community, about 10 per cent of the population, has until now received no overall description in English. Through cooperation of 26 Indonesian and European scholars, Protestants and Catholics, a broad and balanced picture is given of its 24 million Christians. This book sketches the growth of Christianity during the Portuguese period (1511-1605), it presents a fair account of developments under the Dutch colonial administration (1605-1942) and is more elaborate for the period of the Indonesian Republic (since 1945). It emphasizes the regional differences in this huge country, because most Christians live outside the main island of Java. Muslim-Christian relations, as well as the tensions between foreign missionaries and local theology, receive special attention. ... Read more

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Between 1997 and 2001 an extensive series of Dutch-language interviews was recorded with the aim of documenting "the end of the Netherlands colonial presence in Asia." These interviews concentrated on experiences in what is called "The East" from the 1930s until the early 1960s. They present a broad spectrum of material, depicting fear, anger, and courage in a turbulent historical period. But they also provide a vivid window on ordinary day-to-day life, at home and at work.

The Foundation for the Oral History of Indonesia (SMGI) was established especially for this project. It organized and conducted interviews with 724 individuals, among them Dutch, Indo-Europeans, Chinese, Moluccans, Menadonese, and Javanese. A sound archive comprising 2,800 hours of recording is available for consultation at the KITLV (Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology) in Leiden. The abstracts presented in this volume are an introduction to this very rich source of information. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ultimately, Hundreds of Pages of Frustration
This is a wise and positive purchase for the serious and active scholar and student.It's also a devilishly enticing yet ultimately frustrating collection of unrealized stories for the casual reader, even one familiar with Dutch colonialism and Southeast Asia in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.

The stated purpose of the book is so that readers "can have some idea of the scale and character of the collection.""The collection" is the tapes and assorted databasing and archives of the (Dutch) Foundation for the Oral History of Indonesia project.The project itself was designed to address "what was life like in the final decades of Dutch colonialism and during the first years of Indonesian independence."The seven-page introduction is direct and to the point, and thoroughly describes the project's purpose, its methodology, and some of the clearly implied "why's" and "wherefore's."It's clear and concise, and tells what the entire project is about, giving a good feel for the massive scope, long term, and dedicated participation of the scholars and interviewees involved.The introduction is just right.

The abstracts are the core of this book, 578 pages of single-paragraph synopses from 1189 interviews of 724 people who had been in Holland's "East."The first abstract is from a housewife who married a Dutch colonial soldier; the last is from a school teacher who taught a prominent occupying Japanese official how to speak Malay.In between are stories of privileged colonial life, captivity, torture, deprivation, occupation, uncertainty in time of civil/revolutionary war, and above all transition and uncertainty.The stories come from bakers, soldiers, businessmen, husbands and wives, spies, engineers, public servants, students, and hundreds more.The scope is wide-ranging and highly varied, each abstract standing as a separate and distinct story, a non-fiction memoir.

Overall, the book is incredibly frustrating.Each individual story is a window into a unique and fascinating life which, due to the necessary brevity of the abstracts, is closed as quickly as it opens, in an average of maybe twenty lines.There are fascinating stories of death and heartbreak, family reunion, love, deceit, and conflict, but there is never any amplifying narrative.The abstract is all there is.The only way to complete the story is to learn Dutch, travel to the Netherlands, and sit through the original tapes, since not even transcripts were made of these conversations.As I read through the hundreds of pages of hundreds of abstracts, with a new source and entirely new existence at least once per page, I couldn't help but wish for a genuine story, a beginning, middle, and end.In almost every abstract the basic elements were there, but there was never any resolution, never any amplification.

The only real value this book and its collection of abstracts has is to the professional researcher.This being said, the way the book and its information is arranged does not necessarily assist one bent on research.There is a clear methodology to the interviews, and each source named, with a source number, interview details, and occupation and locational data in Southeast Asia.But nowhere in the book is all of the hard data contained in the 1189 abstracts collated and organized into a tabular or other form to make it easier to search.There is an index of geographical names, and there is a general index, as well as a listing of the proper names of each of the interviewees.Where is the index of proper/personal names to complement the listing of the names of those interviewed--the interviewees are not the only individuals mentioned by name, not by a long shot.There is no general thematic index, the most logical and common basic starting point for any kind of research.The index of geographical names is sadly incomplete, with dozens and dozens of places mentioned in the text not included.The same is true of the general index, a pitifully paltry effort of only twelve pages for over 570 pages of information.Dozens of places, concepts, persons, organizations, businesses, government offices and elements have failed to be listed.The weak general and geographical indices, and the list of interviewees are not cross-referenced at all.For an effort of this magnitude, and with word processing technology available 2002, there is no excuse for anything short of a comprehensive, detailed, and thoroughly cross-referenced grouping of indices.This is especially egregious fault in a book that is so clearly geared to the serious researcher.Short of doing extensive library/online research or even going to Holland to research the collection personally, this book should be the simple, accessible, and above all comprehensive entry point for further use of the overall collection.No, this is not the stated purpose of the book (as quoted above), but making the data readily available to those who wish to take advantage is clearly a responsibility of those who undertook the project in the first place.

In conclusion, this book is best purchased and actively utilized by the dedicated researcher, the scholar and/or student who is actively engaged in the subjects touched upon by this oral history project (late Dutch colonialism, Japanese World War II occupation in Southeast Asia, Indonesian nationalism and revolution, and the early days of Indonesian independence).This book sadly is not a good choice for a casual reader, even one who is interested in and well-read in the Dutch colonial experience, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, etc.The casual reader will be increasingly annoyed and frustrated by the parade of hundreds of fascinating personal stories of adventure, tragedy, and triumph, brutally truncated into maddeningly short abstracts.
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Customer Reviews (3)

Useful but biased and not extensive
Between 1965 and 1967 more than 1 million mostly Chinese Indonesians were murdered under the pretext that they were COmmunists. THe real reason for their killing was that they were a minority, they were Chinese and they were not Muslim, which made them a target of the Indonesian nationalist Muslim government under Suharto.

This book however ignores the murders, the genocide, the pogroms, and instead focuses on the plot that was the pretext or excuse for unleashing the genocide.This is tantamount to writing an entire book on the Holocaust and examining only the killing of Reinhard Heydrich instead of examining the subsequent mass murder.

This book is mostly one long anti-American bashing polemic that blames the United States for all the murder and terror inflicted by the Indonesian government on the Chinese minority.The book insinuates that John Foster Dulles and Eisenhower were 'waiting' for the attempted Communist coup and used the killing of a few military officers to unleash the coup and the mass murder.But the U.S had no role in the mass murder that followed.The U.S was fed a lie by Suharto, namely that the Communists were trying to sieze power, and thus Suharto was able to carry out his ethnic-cleansing.

Seth J. Frantzman

An Excellent Look at a Sadly Overlooked Coup
"Pretext for Mass Murder" is an impressive overview of the complicated events behind the 1965-1966 coup in which pro-U.S. General Suharto seized power and began a three decade reign of terror. Roosa worked with a group of Indonesian scholars on interviews and other historical research which produced core material for this book. Though in the end Roosa concludes that a few members of the Indonesian communist party (PKI), by launching an ill-conceived anti-military action, did provide the provocation which rightist military forces and the U.S. had been waiting for in 1965, the foolhardy actions of those individual PKI members do not in any way absolve Suharto and his western backers for what consequently happened (an epic campaign of bloodletting which eviscerated the PKI and killed up to a million Indonesians).

In Roosa's words:"In the months before October, the United States and the army wanted an incident like the movement to occur[...] Eisenhower and the Dulles brothers - Allen at the head of the CIA and John Foster at the head of the State Department - viewed all nationalist Third World leaders who wished to remain neutral in the cold war as Communist stooges. In full confidence of their right to handpick the leaders of foreign countries, Eisenhower and the Dulleses repeatedly used CIA covert operations to overthrow such leaders: Mossadegh in Iran in 1953, Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954, and Souvanna Phouma in Laos in 1960.The Dulles brothers viewed Sukarno as yet another irritating character who needed to be removed from the world stage."

The book effectively synthesizes a wealth of information and is extremely well written, and thankfully devoid of the clunky jargon which sinks so many otherwise useful academic volumes.

Great essay, not a great book
This book is not your typical one, as the subject matter, (the September 30th Movement), does not lend itself to a proper narrative.The whole event is surrounded in mystery, with many holes in the story yet to be filled, so the book is rather open ended and tries to interperate numerous accounts.If you are interested in the subject matter, it is the best source available.If you just have a mild interest in Indonesian history, it will probably be too dry a read.I'd give it 5 stars for being the best source of information on this topic, but can only give it 4 stars for reading enjoyability. ... Read more

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Culturally and politically, Indonesia is one of the more complex countries in the world, with 336 ethnic groups speaking 583 languages and dialects. It is only recently that these people have been contained within one political framework. Throughout most of history, Indonesia's inhabitants were divided politically in many different ways as a bewildering array of kingdoms and empires rose and fell within the region. Since independence in 1945, one of the challenges Indonesia faces is constructing a unified national identity. Through six chapters, Drakeley discusses Indonesian history beginning with settlement and social development in 5,000 BCE, through the Colonial Era, the Independence Movement, the Sukarno Era, and the Soeharto Era, to the 2004 elections.

Ideal for students and general readers, the History of Indonesia is part of Greenwood's Histories of Modern Nations series. With over thirty nation's histories in print, these books provide readers with a concise, up-to-date history of countries throughout the world. Reference features include a biographical section highlighting famous figures in Indonesian history, a timeline of important historical events, a glossary of terms, and a bibliographical essay with suggestions for further reading.

Customer Reviews (1)

The History of Indonesia (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations)
There was no mention in the explanation of the book that there were no illustrations.I got the book, based on the cover picture, for a gift.I was very disappointed to find out that there were no illustrations in the book at all!I'm sure the book has alot of information about the developement of Indonesia, but I wanted the gift recipeint to 'see' what Indonesia was all about. ... Read more

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Recognised as the most authoritative general account of Indonesia, this revised and expanded fourth edition has been updated in the light of new scholarship. New chapters at the end of the book bring the story up to the present day, including discussion of recent events such as the 2002 Bali terrorist bombings and the 2004 tsunami. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

What a surprise a history of Muslim Indonesia
Why does this 'history' begin in 1200?Becuase that is when Islam came to Indonesia and therefore, according to the author, there was no history of the country before that time.The Indonesian Hindu and Buddhist temples that pre-date the coming of Islam might be a suprise to anyone reading this book.The fact that before the 1965 anti-Chinese genocide there used to be a large number of Chinese in Indonesia might come as a suprise.it might come as a surprise that there are Christians in Indonesia or that in the 19th century women still used to walk around without having to cover their hair in public.

This is a one sided biased book that views Indonesia only through the glasses of Islamic Indonesia and ignores minorities and all the diverse people that inhabit the archipelego.

Seth J. Frantzman

Best general history of Indonesia in English
Readable and fairly comprehensive, this is a great resource for students and those who want to know the history of one of the world's largest, most fascinating, and least understood (by Westerners) countries.

A well summarized history of Indonesia
I myself am a student from Indonesia, currently studying in Carnegie Mellon University. In light of recent international events, I became attracted to learn the history of my own country from the prespective of Western authors. That is why I read this book at the first place.

I find this book very informative, it gives the reader a good sense of what has been going on in Indonesia from the time of the encounter with the Dutch (~1500), the Dutch colonial period (1600 - 1945), the nation's independence (1945), and the recent reformation of the nation (2000). However, I think some parts of the book are too brief and rather inaccessible for those who do not have prior knowledge of Indonesian history. But that shouldn't be a problem in understanding the overall picture.

I would say that this book is more for the serious readers who want to know more about Indonesia's past and understand its present. A recommended reading especially for students and scholars from Indonesia! ... Read more

Product Description
Text contains annotated translations of three, previously untranslated, late 19th and 20th century texts on chemistry, botany, and economics of the cocaine industry, with emphasis on the role of The Netherlands and Indonesia. For toxicologists, criminalists, and forensic experts. Softcover. ... Read more

Product Description
Women, the Recited Qur'an, and Islamic Music in Contemporary Indonesia takes readers to the heart of religious musical praxis in Indonesia, home to the largest Muslim population in the world. Anne K. Rasmussen explores a rich public soundscape, where women recite the divine texts of the Qur'an, and where an extraordinary diversity of Arab-influenced Islamic musical styles and genres, also performed by women, flourishes. Based on unique and revealing ethnographic research beginning at the end of Suharto's "New Order" and continuing into the era of "Reformation," the book considers the powerful role of music in the expression of religious nationalism. In particular, it focuses on musical style, women's roles, and the ideological and aesthetic issues raised by the Indonesian style of recitation. ... Read more

Product Description
This book analyzes the interaction between nationalism, feminism, and socialism in Indonesia since the beginning of the 20th century until the New Order State of President Suharto. The focus is on the communist women's organization Gerwani, which was by 1965 the largest communist women's organization in the non-communist world. Gerwani members combined feminist demands such as a reform of the marriage law with an insistence upon a political role for women.
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These two memoirs, superbly rendered into English for the first time, provide unique windows into the Sumatran past, in particular, and the early twentieth-century history of Southeast Asia, in general. Originally published soon after the Indonesian Revolution (1945-1949) liberated the island chain from Dutch control, these unusually insightful narratives recall the authors' boyhoods in rural Toba Batak and Minangkabau villages. In reconstructing their own passage into adulthood, the writers inevitably tell the story of their country's turbulent journey from colonial subjugation through revolution to independence. Susan Rodgers's perceptive introduction illuminates the importance of autobiography in developing historical consciousness and imagining a national future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great 1950 autobiographies and introduction to Indonesia
I teach about Indonesia and this book is the best classroom introduction to modern Indonesian history and 20th century Islam in Sumatra. I use the Radjab text. Written in 1950 the autobiography covers the 1910s and '20s -- a time of "pergerakan" politics in Minangkabau West Sumatra. But in '50 Indonesia was newly independent and Radjab is reworking the Indonesian past to fit with Merdeka.
Anyway, it's a great teaching resource and if it ever goes out of print then I'm in trouble. ... Read more