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A History of Modern Indonesia
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).
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GenresHistoryNonfictionAsia
306 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Indonesia is one of the foremost examples of nationalism being crafted by intellectuals in short order to create a state. As a result, historians and theorists about the rise of nationalism can find rich material in its (relatively recent) independence struggle and post-colonial history. Particularly the efforts of anti-Imperialist activists and intellectuals to craft a single Indonesian nation out of an extremely diverse archipelago - for which the principle unifier was that it had been conquered by the Dutch. The theorist of nationalism, Benedict Anderson, used the Indonesian example of a national literature coming into existence in a relatively short period of time in his study of how nations create themselves. Indonesia in this sense is not a unique case of how nations are formed - but it shows how nationalism seeks the reconciliation of diversity within a common identity. All nations are constructed - with Indonesia you can still see the plans and the scaffolding.
Indonesia’s national motto is ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ - ‘Unity in Diversity’ or ‘Out of many, one’. I learnt from Adrian Vickers useful and accessible ‘A History of Modern Indonesia’ that Indonesian nationalists such as Sukarno were greatly influenced by Theosophy - a movement established in the US in 1875 to connect the spirituality of the East with the development of a modern society. Theosophy emphasised the synthesis of apparently divergent points of view into a cosmopolitan outlook. Thus Sukarno tried to combine Marxism and Islam into a national governing philosophy he called Nasakom: nasionalisme ('nationalism'), agama ('religion'), and komunisme ('communism’). This ambitious political and intellectual effort ended in blood-soaked failure with the massacre of the Indonesian Communist Party in 1965, and the coup in which General Suharto set up his conservative ‘New Order’ dictatorship which lasted until the late 1990s.
However, though Suharto tried to eliminate Sukarno’s political legacy, he couldn’t deny Sukarno’s intellectual legacy of a creatively crafted national ideology - the Five Principles, or ‘Pancasila’ philosophy. They are: Belief in the One and Only God (monotheism); humanitarianism; national unity; democracy; and social justice for all Indonesians. It’s hard to see what you couldn’t fit in under Pancasila, however earlier versions did include elements such as ‘internationalism’, and an explicit commitment to socialism - which were ditched by the New Order government. Indeed for all the pleasing sounding elements of tolerance and accomodating diverse viewpoints, independent Indonesia was not democratic for most of its history. Sukarno himself advocated ‘Guided Democracy’ - in which the national leadership (meaning him, and increasingly the armed forces) would ‘manage’ politics to ensure it did not get too divisive.
Pancasila did not prevent the massacre of 1965, nor did it spare the people of Timor Leste from being invaded by the Indonesian military in 1975. Both West Papua and Ambon have experienced the ‘national unity’ of Indonesia as oppressive and exploitative. Vickers describes Indonesian nationalists of the late 1940s, on the eve of independence, debated among themselves about whether Papua should be considered part of new Indonesia - given that ‘Indonesians’ appeared to be primarily Javanese. Sukarno was insistent that Papua was Indonesia by virtue of having been colonised by the Dutch. This argument didn’t apply to the Portuguese colony of East Timor - but Suharto decided it was Indonesia anyway. By the logic of Pancasila it is hard to know what couldn’t be part of Indonesia - given its extremely broad mandate of ‘unity’.
Vickers incorporates into his history the biography of Pramoedya Ananta Toer - a writer of short stories, essays, and novels whose career spans the colonial period, the independence struggle, the Japanese occupation during the Second World War, and the post-colonial era. He was imprisoned by both the Dutch, and the Suharto regime. Pramoedya shared Sukarno’s project (although he was a critic as well) of crafting a distinctive Indonesian national identity. For a writer that meant creating a literature that tried to reflect, and to an extent create, a national story. His epic Buru Quartet spans the modern history of Indonesia - from colonialism to nation statehood. In a sense, he writes the creation of the nation, as well as about it.
Indonesia’s national motto is ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ - ‘Unity in Diversity’ or ‘Out of many, one’. I learnt from Adrian Vickers useful and accessible ‘A History of Modern Indonesia’ that Indonesian nationalists such as Sukarno were greatly influenced by Theosophy - a movement established in the US in 1875 to connect the spirituality of the East with the development of a modern society. Theosophy emphasised the synthesis of apparently divergent points of view into a cosmopolitan outlook. Thus Sukarno tried to combine Marxism and Islam into a national governing philosophy he called Nasakom: nasionalisme ('nationalism'), agama ('religion'), and komunisme ('communism’). This ambitious political and intellectual effort ended in blood-soaked failure with the massacre of the Indonesian Communist Party in 1965, and the coup in which General Suharto set up his conservative ‘New Order’ dictatorship which lasted until the late 1990s.
However, though Suharto tried to eliminate Sukarno’s political legacy, he couldn’t deny Sukarno’s intellectual legacy of a creatively crafted national ideology - the Five Principles, or ‘Pancasila’ philosophy. They are: Belief in the One and Only God (monotheism); humanitarianism; national unity; democracy; and social justice for all Indonesians. It’s hard to see what you couldn’t fit in under Pancasila, however earlier versions did include elements such as ‘internationalism’, and an explicit commitment to socialism - which were ditched by the New Order government. Indeed for all the pleasing sounding elements of tolerance and accomodating diverse viewpoints, independent Indonesia was not democratic for most of its history. Sukarno himself advocated ‘Guided Democracy’ - in which the national leadership (meaning him, and increasingly the armed forces) would ‘manage’ politics to ensure it did not get too divisive.
Pancasila did not prevent the massacre of 1965, nor did it spare the people of Timor Leste from being invaded by the Indonesian military in 1975. Both West Papua and Ambon have experienced the ‘national unity’ of Indonesia as oppressive and exploitative. Vickers describes Indonesian nationalists of the late 1940s, on the eve of independence, debated among themselves about whether Papua should be considered part of new Indonesia - given that ‘Indonesians’ appeared to be primarily Javanese. Sukarno was insistent that Papua was Indonesia by virtue of having been colonised by the Dutch. This argument didn’t apply to the Portuguese colony of East Timor - but Suharto decided it was Indonesia anyway. By the logic of Pancasila it is hard to know what couldn’t be part of Indonesia - given its extremely broad mandate of ‘unity’.
Vickers incorporates into his history the biography of Pramoedya Ananta Toer - a writer of short stories, essays, and novels whose career spans the colonial period, the independence struggle, the Japanese occupation during the Second World War, and the post-colonial era. He was imprisoned by both the Dutch, and the Suharto regime. Pramoedya shared Sukarno’s project (although he was a critic as well) of crafting a distinctive Indonesian national identity. For a writer that meant creating a literature that tried to reflect, and to an extent create, a national story. His epic Buru Quartet spans the modern history of Indonesia - from colonialism to nation statehood. In a sense, he writes the creation of the nation, as well as about it.
Hands down the best book on modern Indonesian history!
Just read it.
Just read it.
I am rating it a 5 based on the purpose of this book, to discuss Indonesian History diachronically. I think it did such a great job doing that, taking you to pass through the dry events presented in school, to the dynamics of such events and how they connect in forming so-called modern Indonesia.
I learned A TONS from this book and the reading experience is definitely an emotional ride, from sympathy, anger, fear, shock, disappointment, hopelessness, and a drive to contribute to being part of the change for the better. Distancing myself and viewing this work in the most objective manner I can, training myself to get into the world of academia, thus being able to view things objectively, is something crucial in the reading experience. Injustice, violence, corruption, are prevalent themes in this book; those are what we need to deal with as we journey through it. I was able to make sense of the world I am living in right now by tracing back the history of this country.
Again, good stuff.
I learned A TONS from this book and the reading experience is definitely an emotional ride, from sympathy, anger, fear, shock, disappointment, hopelessness, and a drive to contribute to being part of the change for the better. Distancing myself and viewing this work in the most objective manner I can, training myself to get into the world of academia, thus being able to view things objectively, is something crucial in the reading experience. Injustice, violence, corruption, are prevalent themes in this book; those are what we need to deal with as we journey through it. I was able to make sense of the world I am living in right now by tracing back the history of this country.
Again, good stuff.
Coming to the topic with almost zero knowledge, I felt like I learned a lot from the book. I had no idea Sukarno's period was as radical as it was, or how strong the Communist party was in those days. It makes clear how Indonesia fit into the Cold War and why it was such an object of US interest.
The swing in national culture from the loose multi-party lefty Sukarno period to the Suharto regime was grimly fascinating. Vickers' description of the stifling New Order conditions was so very familiar. Strike out the proper nouns and the description would fit another country I may or may not be living in right now: the self-censorship of the press, the safari-suit civil servant uniforms, the nearly meaningless government slogans, the shift from universities in city centers to isolated self-contained campuses, mandatory uniformed college student groups that teach marching drills, the use of Chinese tycoons as graft partners and the way that increased resentment of the Chinese while cloaking the real kingpins... Which country are we talking about again?
Histories of this sort are never a pleasurable read, but Vickers' use of Pramoedya's life and hometown as a narrative thread helps to give some continuity. Less effective were the quick asides where a specific peasant would be named and quoted in support of a point. "The rupiah devalued 5-fold against the dollar, creating misery for the poor. Mat, 32, a food stall operator in Balikpapan, said, 'Susah, Pak'." I get that there is probably a good reason in theory to include that kind of thing, so that history is not solely the voice of the big and powerful. But these little asides felt like argument by anecdote and reminded me of the horrible affectation in US presidential campaigns of using a specific individual as examples of national problems, like Joe the Plumber. That's a minor thing though and didn't take away from the book at all.
The swing in national culture from the loose multi-party lefty Sukarno period to the Suharto regime was grimly fascinating. Vickers' description of the stifling New Order conditions was so very familiar. Strike out the proper nouns and the description would fit another country I may or may not be living in right now: the self-censorship of the press, the safari-suit civil servant uniforms, the nearly meaningless government slogans, the shift from universities in city centers to isolated self-contained campuses, mandatory uniformed college student groups that teach marching drills, the use of Chinese tycoons as graft partners and the way that increased resentment of the Chinese while cloaking the real kingpins... Which country are we talking about again?
Histories of this sort are never a pleasurable read, but Vickers' use of Pramoedya's life and hometown as a narrative thread helps to give some continuity. Less effective were the quick asides where a specific peasant would be named and quoted in support of a point. "The rupiah devalued 5-fold against the dollar, creating misery for the poor. Mat, 32, a food stall operator in Balikpapan, said, 'Susah, Pak'." I get that there is probably a good reason in theory to include that kind of thing, so that history is not solely the voice of the big and powerful. But these little asides felt like argument by anecdote and reminded me of the horrible affectation in US presidential campaigns of using a specific individual as examples of national problems, like Joe the Plumber. That's a minor thing though and didn't take away from the book at all.
Sebuah sajian mengenai kajian sejarah Indonesia alternatif yang ditulis oleh salah seorang yang dapat disebut Indonesianis asal Australia yakni Adrian Vickers. Adrian menyajikan "pelajaran sejarah" yang lain dari buku teks yang sering dijadikan buku pegangan wajib anak sekolah di Indonesia dengan mengkaji sejarah dalam sudut pandang orang biasa atau rakyat banyak yang sedikit bayak ia sandarkan pada pengalaman sastrawan Indonesia, Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Buku ini diawali dari kajian mengenai keadaan sebelum Indonesia merdeka atau sebelum terbentuknya negara Indonesia, yang mana masih merupakan bagian imperium belanda yang disebut dengan Hindia Belanda dan diakhiri dengan sejarah indonesia pasca reformasi yang mana masih memunculkan banyak tantangan bagi bangsa Indonesia ke depan. Buku ini dapat dijadikan alternatif dalam mengkaji sejarah Indonesia yang tidak harus melulu dalam cara pandang penguasa karena sejarah tidak hanya milik penguasa, namun juga milik rakyat.
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June 17, 2021
This book is written with a "binocular" perspective - the author is from the University of Sydney, Australia, and he weaves the life and lens of heroic Indonesian poet/writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer into this history book..
Have not been well acquainted with Indonesia history previously; the book has given me a sense of respect and admiration for this huge and diverse nation. Respect for the many heroes and matyrs that served this nation. And the numbers are stunning :
- between 45,000 to 100,000 Indonesians died in the fighting when Dutch (and British) forces took action against nationalists in the months AFTER world war 2; from 1945-1947.
- fighting between factions of Indonesians eg Muslim vs Communists eg estimates more than 30,000 killed Madiun and Blora (Pramoedya's birth place).
- estimated some 125,000 died in the East Timor struggle.
- many more through the famines caused by the harsh colonial rule of the Dutch and the numerous anti-Chinese riots.
A sober read. Pramoedya had this wish - that nation building would deliver prosperity and a just society. Tough days ahead but we do wish Indonesia well. It is after all the 3rd largest democracy in the world.
Have not been well acquainted with Indonesia history previously; the book has given me a sense of respect and admiration for this huge and diverse nation. Respect for the many heroes and matyrs that served this nation. And the numbers are stunning :
- between 45,000 to 100,000 Indonesians died in the fighting when Dutch (and British) forces took action against nationalists in the months AFTER world war 2; from 1945-1947.
- fighting between factions of Indonesians eg Muslim vs Communists eg estimates more than 30,000 killed Madiun and Blora (Pramoedya's birth place).
- estimated some 125,000 died in the East Timor struggle.
- many more through the famines caused by the harsh colonial rule of the Dutch and the numerous anti-Chinese riots.
A sober read. Pramoedya had this wish - that nation building would deliver prosperity and a just society. Tough days ahead but we do wish Indonesia well. It is after all the 3rd largest democracy in the world.
Kattava yleisteos Indonesian historiasta kolonialismin päivistä vuoden 2002 tienoille.
Sujuvaa ja funktionaalista tekstiä. Vickers käyttää tehokkaasti eri kirjailijoiden (erityisesti nationalistisen Pramoedyan) teoksia värittämään ja kuvaamaan maan ja ihmisten mielialoja.
Sujuvaa ja funktionaalista tekstiä. Vickers käyttää tehokkaasti eri kirjailijoiden (erityisesti nationalistisen Pramoedyan) teoksia värittämään ja kuvaamaan maan ja ihmisten mielialoja.
Easy reading on the history of Indonesia.
Need more detailed research papers if you wish to write a research paper related to Indonesian history.
Recommended if a beginner wishes to learn more about the country before visiting.
Need more detailed research papers if you wish to write a research paper related to Indonesian history.
Recommended if a beginner wishes to learn more about the country before visiting.
Erg goed en prettig geschreven boek als je de geschiedenis van Indonesië sinds 1945 wilt begrijpen. Ik heb tweede editie gelezen die tot ongeveer 2009 gaat.
There are a number of good aspects of this book, but its flaws prevent it from being a really good book. It is good in the way that it is fairly readable and that it provides a good path through Indonesian history. If you read this you will learn more about Indonesia and pick up on a number of cultural cues.
However, there are problems with the writing style and the presentation of facts that prevented it from being a good book. There are too many glib phrases that need to be explained that aren't. For example "the overall level of poverty rose 100%" -- too glib to be meaningful, obviously the 100% figure is not based on anything, and somehow its less useful than "poverty rose drastically" anyway, there are many points in the book that I needed more explanation to understand what he meant, but if you want to read this, go ahead, you will learn something
However, there are problems with the writing style and the presentation of facts that prevented it from being a good book. There are too many glib phrases that need to be explained that aren't. For example "the overall level of poverty rose 100%" -- too glib to be meaningful, obviously the 100% figure is not based on anything, and somehow its less useful than "poverty rose drastically" anyway, there are many points in the book that I needed more explanation to understand what he meant, but if you want to read this, go ahead, you will learn something
An excellent introduction to modern Indonesian history. (I first read Colin Brown's short history which was a very helpful overview. Next, Vickers, and then read Ricklef's tome most recently, definitely the right order for me).
Vickers' account is authoritative and very well written. It is vivid because he also draws on the accounts of many people he has conversed with over the years. Eg on the assassination attempt on Sukarno in Cikini 1957, although Prof Ricklefs gives more detail and context, it's from Vickers that we learn that many ordinary people felt more sure he possessed supernatural powers when he survived it.
Vickers'' 2nd edition is also more informative than Ricklefs' 4th edition on the post 2004 period.
On quirky thing: in his acknowledgements Vickers quotes a Javanese proverb without translating it. I asked my Javanese colleagues what it meant. They all said it was old Javanese and none could understand it!!
Vickers is very good on popular culture, eg Kroncong, dangdut, civil servants' living costs.
Also useful that he refers to the writer Pramoedya, and gives helpful maps, throughout. At the back he also gives helpful biographies of key figures.
If you only have time to read one book about the modern history of Indonesia, this is definitely the one I'd recommend.
Vickers' account is authoritative and very well written. It is vivid because he also draws on the accounts of many people he has conversed with over the years. Eg on the assassination attempt on Sukarno in Cikini 1957, although Prof Ricklefs gives more detail and context, it's from Vickers that we learn that many ordinary people felt more sure he possessed supernatural powers when he survived it.
Vickers'' 2nd edition is also more informative than Ricklefs' 4th edition on the post 2004 period.
On quirky thing: in his acknowledgements Vickers quotes a Javanese proverb without translating it. I asked my Javanese colleagues what it meant. They all said it was old Javanese and none could understand it!!
Vickers is very good on popular culture, eg Kroncong, dangdut, civil servants' living costs.
Also useful that he refers to the writer Pramoedya, and gives helpful maps, throughout. At the back he also gives helpful biographies of key figures.
If you only have time to read one book about the modern history of Indonesia, this is definitely the one I'd recommend.
using many of pramoedya's fictional works as a guide, this non fiction account of a slice of modern indonesian history is excellent. starting with the establishment of the dutch east indies corp's colony, and leading up to 21st century indonesia - this book does a great job of telling the somewhat mysterious policital & social history of the country. there are some excellent tidbits about CIA that will leave you shaking your head at their nasty, meddling ways - including their attempt to make a pornographic movie "starring" the president, sukarno, in order to defame him... which, of course backfired and only increased his popularity. especially now that the government has basically banned the teaching of indonesian history in public schools - this is a good book for many people to get to know.
Re-read this book and enjoyed it so much. Vickers runs the history of modern Indonesia alongside the biography of political activist and author Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Vickers laces the history with comedic flourishes - or at least the academic equivalent. The book draws a picture of an Indonesia unable to find a uniting theme and riddled with a fetish for feudalism.
A great book. If you're interested in further reading into aspects of Indonesian psyche check out Under the Volcano by Cameron Forbes or John Birminghams work on East Timor.
A great book. If you're interested in further reading into aspects of Indonesian psyche check out Under the Volcano by Cameron Forbes or John Birminghams work on East Timor.
I chose this single history of Indonesia based on Amazon reviews; they turned out to be spot-on. Probably the most readable history I've ever held in my hands. I read it cover to cover and found only a small bit (in Ch. 5) to be draggy. Devotes 85 pages to pre-WWII, starting in earnest in the late 1800s. The rest of its 224 pages (not counting end-matter) takes us through the fall of Suharto.
Full review:
http://inidisini.wordpress.com/2011/0...
Full review:
http://inidisini.wordpress.com/2011/0...
Solid, if rather short, history of the country from late 19th century up to general election in 2004. Plenty of old posters, stamps, and strip comics through the ages showing contemporary zeitgeist.
On less serious note: being Indonesian, it's a little amusing to see some local names translated into English for readability. Suddenly they just assume different aura. :)) ("Kebon Kacang" = "Peanut Garden" ?)
On less serious note: being Indonesian, it's a little amusing to see some local names translated into English for readability. Suddenly they just assume different aura. :)) ("Kebon Kacang" = "Peanut Garden" ?)
What really extraordinary about this book is how Vickers often used literature (fictional ones) in order to describe Indonesian historical context at that time. He must be cautious then, but it is really OK because he used leading literature like Pram's for example (Tales from Jakarta, Buru Quartet, and so on). It gives new insight and lighter prologue to comprehend Indonesian history.
Ok, it was good...kalo bukan karna tugas review, gak jamin gw kenal buku ini...And damn, setelah gw baca ternyata buku nya ckup bagus karna membahas Indonesia dr zaman baholok...Adrian Vickers pasti lah banyak sekali ngumpulin data hingga bisa buat buku semacam ini ^_^
An good overview of Indonesian history after independence, with a brief dip into the “Dutch era” to help put the events after WW2 and independence in perspective and to help in understanding how events played out.
Currently reading
September 30, 2008
Good overview of modern Indonesia, though the very recent events (post-Suharto) are rather brief. A better analysis of the contemporary period would probably come from Reformasi.
I'm reading this as research for a writing project set in Indonesia, hence the much slower than usual reading rate. Normally history texts bore me, but I'm finding this one very interesting.
A great exposition of the Indonesian history. It is welcoming start for enthusiasts, with just enough amount of details to understand the current landscape of Indonesian daily life.
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April 27, 2012
New edition coming soon
A complete and detailed narration of Indonesia
Good introduction to the complexity and cruelty of Indonesia's recent history.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews