The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Java

Photo essay: Banyutowo harmony

A fishing village on the northern tip of Java stays true to its roots

Bangun! Banjir!

Seorang antropolog Belanda tinggal di permukiman kumuh di bantaran kali Jakarta untuk memahami bagaimana warga di sana hidup berdampingan dengan banjir

Wake up! Flood!

A Dutch anthropologist lived in a Jakarta riverside slum to learn how residents there cope with constant flooding

A temple to populist nationalism

Sukarno’s gravesite is very popular but there is much irony in the way his memory is celebrated

Reclaiming Indonesian citizenship

A ‘waria’ version of the traditional flag ceremony celebrates both nationhood and diversity

Photo essay: A protest for fair land reform

Essay: Contesting urban beauty in Jakarta

Walking Jakarta’s northern coastline reveals communities experiencing disruptive and rapid change

When ‘home’ is not home

The worn-down, wooden-plank exterior of a house, bare but for a mural of a bull on a red background - PDI-P's symbol. (Laila Kholid Alfirdaus)

Locals react coolly to ex-transmigrants who return to Java after fleeing violence elsewhere

Digital citizenship

Online corruption talk in Banten can be vitriolic

Labour takes a citizenship approach

A woman tips a coin tin over another woman's open palm.

Despite the impressive activism of Pekalongan’s labour union, its political clout remains limited

Hope in the darkness

A Hazara fleeing persecution has dedicated her life in Indonesia to helping her fellow refugees in Bogor

Environmental child soldiers

Surabayan children are fighting to improve their local environment

Essay: ‘Harvard’ and ‘Cambridge’ at your doorstep

Pare’s English language school grew out of a tutoring job and is now attracting thousands

Review: Recounting the revolution

Two recently republished memoirs illustrate the divergence of experiences during the Indonesian Revolution

Nova Ruth: stages of collaboration

A singer for all seasons at ease with many musical repertoires and traditions

Hip hop with attitude

Rappers express their music in a Javanese way in Yogyakarta

The forgotten killings

Monumen Bambu Runcing (Bamboo Spear Monument), Surabaya Credit: Lidya Mewengkang

The slaughter of Indonesians by young nationalists has been hidden by romantic narratives of the independence struggle

Review: Kartini’s complete legacy

Bringing Kartini’s entire anthology of writings together for the first time reveals the depths of her pioneering influence

Religious Bandung II: The champion arrives

Bandung’s civic improvement program continues after its patron is imprisoned

Review: Sites, Bodies and Stories

Sites, Bodies and Stories: Imagining Indonesian History - Cover Image

History and heritage in the Indonesian imagination

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.