Historical Dictionary of Indonesia

(Hardback, Third Edition)

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Description

A wide-flung archipelago lying between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Indonesia is the world's most populous Islamic country. For over two thousand years it was a crossroads on the major trading route between China and India, but it was not brought together into a single entity until the Dutch extended their rule throughout the Netherlands East Indies in the early part of the 20th century. Declaring its independence from the Dutch in 1945, the Republic of Indonesia was ruled by only two regimes over the next half century Throughout the years the country has continued to be dogged by an inefficient bureaucracy and by perpetual problems of corruption. However, since 2004 Indonesia has successfully carried out four direct elections for president, together with an equal number of elections for legislative bodies at all levels of government, and has finally in 2014 elected a president with no ties to either the military or to the previous authoritarian power structure. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Indonesia contains a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 900 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Indonesia.

Reviews

As Kahin did in her coauthored second edition, she has again updated this very useful reference work, this time alone. The author's work builds on the first edition, compiled and written solo by Robert Cribb in 1992. The current release updates entries through Indonesia's elections in 2014 when Joko Widodo was elected president, and generally takes a more comprehensive look at the country. As the title makes clear, the dictionary focuses particularly on historical and political issues, and therefore is most useful for scholars working in these fields. On the other hand, the breadth and evenhandedness of the short descriptions help provide context and background to the country's complicated history, making the work helpful to students who are just learning about Indonesia, or journalists who follow the country and region. True mavens of Indonesian politics and history will appreciate the book's maps (more than a dozen), lengthy list of acronyms, and its appendixes covering post-1945 electoral results as well as the main actors in Indonesia's governments, from the Dutch colonial period to the post-independence cabinets of Sukarno, Suharto, and their successors. The concluding nearly 115-page classified bibliography is accompanied by a thoughtful introductory essay. [The book is] an obligatory purchase for academic and large public libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE *
The extensive Bibliography occupying over 100 pages lists in excess of 1,500 books and articles, nearly all of them in English. It is probably one of the most significant English language bibliographies on Indonesia and is an important reference source in its own right. I would recommend all libraries where Indonesia is the subject of study or research to acquire this new version. More general libraries looking for a good reference work on Indonesia should also consider purchase.It is certainly a country which merits greater study and understanding, a purpose for which this book, one of Rowman and Littlefields top division historical dictionaries, is an ideal starting point and companion. * s *

Author Bio

Audrey Kahin is the U.S. Executive Director of the American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS). Her principal research interests focus on modern Indonesian history, particularly the countrys regional diversity and the problems of integration, and inter-religious and inter-ethnic relations.