Review: A new textbook invites readers to consider a broad concept of ‘Indonesia’
Andy Fuller
The Indonesia Reader, edited by Tineke Hellwig and Eric Tagliacozzo, aims to ‘help those who are interested in this unique country’ to understand it better. Using narratives of history, culture and politics to approach Indonesia, The Reader provides a stimulating, challenging and provocative portrait presented through texts chosen on either because they pull apart the concept of ‘Indonesia’ or because they strengthen it.
The book presents texts chronologically, from fifth century writings in Sanskrit on stone pillars found in Kutei in eastern Borneo, through the Dutch colonial period, the Japanese occupation, revolution and independence, ending in the early years of this century. These readings are divided neatly into 10 chapters, each of which has an overview and summaries of the context in which each selected reading was written.
The editors maintain a fine balance between primary source, academic analysis and overview. Their introductions to each section, which are clear and nuanced, will be particularly useful to readers unfamiliar with the original texts.
The complexity of their approach is demonstrated in the way they have edited the texts, skilfully contrasting ideologies and perspectives. For example, in Chapter 8, eyewitness accounts of the killings of 1965-66 are juxtaposed against an account by Suharto in which he describes his humble beginnings and vouches for his ethical principles which have been derived from his simple background – the first of these an excerpt from The Indonesian Killings 1965-1966: Studies from Java and Bali, edited by Robert Cribb, and the second, Suharto’s ‘My Thoughts, Words, Deeds’.
Texts by authors from marginalised or peripheral communities also provide alternative perspectives to dominant narratives of ‘Indonesia’. These include texts such as ‘I am a Papua’ by Julius Pour, ‘Our Struggle against Indonesian Aggression’, by the Republica Democratica de Timor Leste and Dédé Oetomo’s essay, ‘Gays and Lesbians in Indonesia’. In addition, throughout the Reader there is a strong presence of literary writings. We see, for example, texts from authors as varied as Multatuli, Mas Marco Kartodikromo, Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, Soewarsih Djojopoespito, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Nh. Dini and Seno Gumira Ajidarma. The exclusion of authors writing in low Malay and of ethnic-Chinese origin as well as those authors writing from the peripheries of the modern nation state of Indonesia is, however, an opportunity missed.
It provides varying readings on what Indonesia is and, usefully, presents many alternatives to the nationalistic interpretations of the unified nation of Indonesia
Each reader of The Indonesia Reader will easily find points of argument with the texts selected and perhaps also with the manner in which certain periods of Indonesia’s history are summarised. For me, one significant incident in Indonesia’s recent history that is omitted is the state-sponsored killings of suspected criminals (known as the ‘petrus’, or ‘mysterious shootings’), which took place during the early to mid-1980s. This phenomenon could have been introduced through the writings of scholars such as James Siegel and Ariel Heryanto and perhaps complemented by some of the literary texts that deal with this state violence. In my view, this would have provided a fascinating portrait of the New Order government as well as a vital intersection of history, politics and culture. Surprisingly, also, The Reader includes little on Islam: there are no texts from Nurcholish Madjid, Abdurrahman Wahid, Ahmad Wahib or contemporary and controversial thinkers such as Ulil Abshar Abdalla or Luthfie Assyaukanie. Given the power of Islam’s influence in Indonesia, it is distinctly underrepresented in the collection, reflected only through texts authored by the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and convicted bomber Imam Sumadera.
But in the scheme of things these complaints are mere quibbles. The Indonesia Reader is a vital text. It is not only accessible for a generalist audience, but may also provide some more seasoned professionals with new perspectives through the many alternatives to the nationalistic interpretations of Indonesia that it presents.
Tineke Hellwig and Eric Tagliacozzo (eds), The Indonesia Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Durham: Duke University Press, 2009.
Andy Fuller (acfuller@utas.edu.au) is a PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania.
