Customer Reviews

History of Modern Indonesia Since C.1200, a

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I myself am a student from Indonesia, currently studying in Carnegie Mellon University. In light of recent international events, I became attracted to learn the history of my own country from the prespective of Western authors. That is why I read this book at the first place.

I find this book very informative, it gives the reader a good sense of what has been going on in Indonesia from the time of the encounter with the Dutch (~1500), the Dutch colonial period (1600 - 1945), the nation's independence (1945), and the recent reformation of the nation (2000). However, I think some parts of the book are too brief and rather inaccessible for those who do not have prior knowledge of Indonesian history. But that shouldn't be a problem in understanding the overall picture.

I would say that this book is more for the serious readers who want to know more about Indonesia's past and understand its present. A recommended reading especially for students and scholars from Indonesia!

Readable and fairly comprehensive, this is a great resource for students and those who want to know the history of one of the world's largest, most fascinating, and least understood (by Westerners) countries.

Why does this 'history' begin in 1200? Becuase that is when Islam came to Indonesia and therefore, according to the author, there was no history of the country before that time. The Indonesian Hindu and Buddhist temples that pre-date the coming of Islam might be a suprise to anyone reading this book. The fact that before the 1965 anti-Chinese genocide there used to be a large number of Chinese in Indonesia might come as a suprise. it might come as a surprise that there are Christians in Indonesia or that in the 19th century women still used to walk around without having to cover their hair in public.

This is a one sided biased book that views Indonesia only through the glasses of Islamic Indonesia and ignores minorities and all the diverse people that inhabit the archipelego.

Seth J. Frantzman