Of Self and Nation: Autobiography and the Representation of Modern Indonesia [Hardcover]

C. W. Watson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2000

In looking critically at eight autobiographical works, all concerned in one way or another with the question of what it means to be an Indonesian in the twentieth century, C.W. Watson demonstrates the value of reading autobiographies as accounts of nation-building. Close attention is paid to the declared intention of each autobiography, how the writers set about constructing a self-image of themselves by selecting one episode of their lives over another and how they see their lives as being bound up with that of the nation. In making use of this and other methods drawn from literary criticism, history, and critical ethnography, Of Self and Nation offers an original and illuminating approach to understanding how a modern nation came into existence and how its people have constructed a sense of national identity.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"A brilliant reinterpretation of Indonesian history, providing a wonderful access for historians and anthropologists to Indonesian culture. Indeed, it gives them the literary tools which they sorely lack and which, I fear, they don't always realize they lack. This is a major milestone in the study of Southeast Asian autobiography." --Amin Sweeney, University of California, Berkeley. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

C.W. Watson is senior lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kent at Canterbury and has written extensively on the literature, culture, and politics of Indonesia. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824820959
• ISBN-13: 978-0824820954
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,372,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.