Synopses & Reviews
Indonesia, the worldand#8217;s largest Muslim nation, is now in the midst of dramatic upheaval. This history of Indonesia provides an overview from the prehistoric period to the present and explores the connections between the nationand#8217;s many communities and the differences that propel contemporary breakaway movements.
and#147;Taylorand#8217;s approach challenges and opens the mind.and#8221;and#151;Jaime James, Los Angeles Times Book Review
and#147;Taylorand#8217;s new book is groundbreaking: it takes us on a grand journey from the earliest material cultures of the archipelago to Indonesiaand#8217;s turbulent present.and#8221;and#151;Laurie J. Sears, author of Shadows of Empire: Colonial Discourse and Javanese Tales
and#147;Clear, erudite, and authoritative, this book provides a rich coverage of the vast tapestry of Indonesian society.and#8221;and#151;Ben Kiernan, Yale University
and#147;A rich and fascinating excursion into Indonesian history that is guided not only by the usual commanding authority of political events, but by the story of how different peoples, as communities, have interacted over the centuries to produce an Indonesia that, although diverse, can also be called a nation.and#8221;and#151;Foreign Affairs
Review
"Clear, erudite, and authoritative, this book provides a rich coverage of the vast tapestry of Indonesian society."and#8212;Ben Kiernan, Yale University
Review
and#8220;Jean Gelman Taylor has written an authoritative, accessible and interesting book that brings a new vividness to Indonesian history. She guides her readers on an absorbing journey through Indonesiaand#8217;s complex past. Her original approach has produced a work that will engage the general reader, stimulate the student and challenge the specialist.and#8221;and#8212;Barbara Watson Andaya, University of Hawaii
Synopsis
Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world. It comprises more than 17,000 islands inhabited by 230 million people who speak over 300 different languages. Now the worldand#8217;s largest Muslim nation, Indonesia remains extraordinarily heterogeneous due to the waves of immigrationand#151;Buddhist, Hindu, Arab, and Europeanand#151;that have defined the regionand#8217;s history.
Fifty years after the collapse of Dutch colonial rule, Indonesia is a nation in the midst of dramatic upheaval. In this broad survey, Jean Gelman Taylor explores the connections between the nationand#8217;s many communities, and the differences that propel contemporary breakaway movements.
Drawing on a broad range of sources, including art, archaeology, and literature, Taylor provides a historical overview from the prehistoric period to the present day. The text is enlivened by brief and#147;capsuleand#8221; histories on topics ranging from pepper to Maharajas to smallpox.
This ambitious bookand#151;the first new history of Indonesia written in over twenty yearsand#151;will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Southeast Asia and the future stability of the region.
About the Author
Jean Gelman Taylor is a senior lecturer in history at the University of New South Wales.