A History of Modern IndonesiaSince the Bali bombings of 2002 and the rise of political Islam, Indonesia has frequently occupied media headlines. Nevertheless, the history of the fourth largest country on earth remains relatively unknown. Adrian Vickers' book, first published in 2005, traces the history of an island country, comprising some 240 million people, from the colonial period through revolution and independence to the present. Framed around the life story of Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesia's most famous and controversial novelist and playwright, the book journeys through the social and cultural mores of Indonesian society, focusing on the experiences of ordinary people. In this new edition, the author brings the story up to date, revisiting his argument as to why Indonesia has yet to realise its potential as a democratic country. He also examines the rise of fundamentalist Islam, which has haunted Indonesia since the fall of Suharto. |
Contents
| 9 | |
Cultures of the countryside | 34 |
To assail the colonial machine | 60 |
The Revolution | 87 |
Living in the atomic age | 117 |
From the old order to the | 146 |
Terror and development in happy land | 174 |
Age of globalisation age of crisis | 202 |
Biographies of hey figures | 237 |
| 276 | |
| 297 | |
Common terms and phrases
Aceh Ali Murtopo archipelago areas aristocratic army Asian Studies Bali Balinese became Blora campaign Central Java centre Chinese cities civil servants colonial Communist Party conflict coolies corruption created culture Dutch East Java East Timor economic election European fields fighting figures film find first forces Golkar government’s Gus Dur History independence Indies indigenous Indonesia influence Irian islands Ithaca Jakarta Japanese Kalimantan Kartini killed labour leadership linked lived Madiun major Malay military Minangkabau minister modern movement Murtopo Muslim nationalist natives Netherlands newspapers officers official ofIndonesia ofthe Order organisations peasants People’s plantations political parties politicians popular population Pramoedya Ananta Toer president regents regime regional Revolution rice rule Semarang Semaun Singapore social society Southeast Asia stories struggle Suharto Sukarno Sulawesi sultan Sumatra Surabaya Surakarta Syahrir Tan Malaka traditional twentieth century University Press village violence wayang women workers Yogyakarta