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

Megawati Presidency

‘No more money for our needles’

Preparing the injection - Sari Damar Ratri

HIV prevention programs lack financial support, with serious consequences

New leadership, new policies?

The Nahdlatul Ulama congress in Makassar arrests the slide away from liberal views but shows the organisation's vulnerability to outside political interference

Sympathy for the Devil

Pining for the certainty of the Suharto era

Gus Dur’s 100 days

Abdurrahman Wahid’s life deserves serious and critical reflection

Censorship makes a comeback

Recent book bannings mark a return to the repressive practices of the New Order

Driving under the New Order

The tumultuous events of 1965 thwarted Liong Tjie Tjong’s writing aspirations

Sensitive truths

The exhumation of mass graves from 1965-66 is a fraught and dangerous business

Negotiating the past and looking to the future

Meaningful dialogue about the future of Papua requires that Indonesians and Papuans honestly address the past

Fauzi Abdullah (1949-2009)

Indonesian labour activists are mourning the passing of a great man

Gerindra and 'Greater Indonesia'

Prabowo’s party has deep roots in Indonesian political mythology

The wives of Noordin Top

The media portrays women who marry terrorists as victims, but the reality is far more complex

When money rules over voice

Regional autonomy and spatial planning in Bandung benefits the elite

Development for the rich

Gated communities are built with little concern for their social and environmental impacts

Fighting over the land and forest

Century-old conflicts persist in the vast tracts of Indonesia that are designated as state forest

Genocide and demographic transformation in Papua

A response to Jim Elmslie and Stuart Upton

Not just another disaster

Papuan claims of genocide deserve to be taken seriously

A disaster, but not genocide

Migration has caused many problems in Papua, but it is not part of a genocidal master plan

W.S.Rendra (1935-2009)

The peacock is no more

Equal access?

Indonesia’s premier university needs to take action to improve facilities for disabled students

The eagle has crash-landed

Despite an unprecedented media campaign, Prabowo Subianto’s political comeback has fallen flat – for now

Latest Articles

Esai: Raja-raja hutan

Jan 22, 2025 - JAKA HENDRA BAITTRI

Cara manusia Sumatera menghormatinya harimau

Essay: Kings of the jungle

Jan 22, 2025 - JAKA HENDRA BAITTRI

How Sumatrans honour the tiger, both mystical and real

Sukarno's Indonesia as seen from Yogyakarta

Jan 06, 2025 - MARK WOODWARD

Sukarno's dedication to the arts and obsession with creating a nationalist ideal live on in luxury hotels he built in the 1960s

Essay: Beyond cultural awareness

Dec 31, 2024 - VICTORIA WINATA

What is cultural awareness? Is it about knowing the habits and languages of other people? These are good intentions, but there is a lot more work to be done

Tetangga: These are the stories of our neighbours

Oct 23, 2024 - ASHLYNN HANNAH & SOFIA JAYNE

Introducing a new podcast series

Subscribe to Inside Indonesia

Receive Inside Indonesia's latest articles and quarterly editions in your inbox.

Lontar Modern Indonesia

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