The idea of Indonesia : a history / R.E. Elson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Elson, R. E. (Robert Edward), 1947-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indonesia--Politics and government.

Indonesia.

Politics and government.

Nationalism--Indonesia--History.

Nationalism.

History.

Physical Description:

xxvi, 365 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Summary:

Indonesia the nation-state is a miraculous and unlikely construction. At first sight, the material for national unity could not be more unpromising: Indonesia's history is marred by deep and often bloody internal disputation based on ideology, ethnicity, religion and region. Yet Indonesia, as concept and as nation-state, endures and is, perhaps, beginning once again to thrive. R. E. Elson, one of the leading figures in the field, seeks to discover the origins of the idea of Indonesia in the mid-nineteenth century and explores its often vexed and troubled trajectory through to the present time. He examines why Indonesia exists, against the odds, as a nation-state, and in what different forms it has existed, seeking to explain the nation's character as it has struggled for unity and purpose. The analysis provides a chronological narrative which examines Indonesian politics, its political elites and their relationship with the Indonesian people.

Contents:

The origins of the idea of indonesia

The new idea : elaboration and contestation

The construction of Indonesia

Indonesia in practice

Rediscovering Indonesia

Integralist Indonesia

Towards a modest Indonesia.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 324-354) and index.

ISBN:

9780521876483

0521876486

OCLC:

174449747

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description