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Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring The Improbable Nation (2014)

by Elizabeth Pisani(Favorite Author)

4.26 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0393088588 (ISBN13: 9780393088588)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: ‘Indonesia’s diversity is not just geographic and cultural; different groups are essentially living at different points in human history, all at the same time.’Indonesia is a country of between 13,466 and 17, 504 islands, depending on whose figures you accept. Of this number, between 6,000 and 7,000 are inhabited and they stretch over 5,200 kilometres Aceh at the north-western tip of Sumatra to Papua in the south-east. This vast nation of islands hosts hundreds of different languages, six recognised religions (differentiating Christianity into Catholicism and Protestantism) and many different ethnicities. Indonesian, a form of Malay, is the official language. Java, with just 7% of the landmass, is home to 60% of Indonesia’s 260 million inhabitants. In 1945 Ind... moreonesia declared its independence from the Dutch:‘We the people of Indonesia, hereby declare the independence of Indonesia. Matters relating to the transfer of power etc. will be executed carefully and as soon as possible.Indonesia has been working on that ‘etc.’ ever since.’ For just over 12 months, Elizabeth Pisani travelled around Indonesia where her fluency in Indonesian and willingness to take part in the lives of people she visited and stayed with stood her in good stead. Her curiosity and capacity to fit in, to accept difference and to observe what is going on around her makes this book particularly enjoyable. There’s information about family and clan, about the importance of gifting, obligation and food, cultural and religious observance. There’s also a wealth of information about the effects of politics of democracy and decentralisation. And observations like this:‘Two-thirds of households in Savu don’t even make it to Prosperity Level I, the lowest of Indonesia’s four wealth classifications; they are, in the government’s delicious phrase, ‘pre-prosperous’.’I enjoyed reading this book, about learning of parts of Indonesia in addition to Jakarta and Bali. It’s an energetic democracy, with many challenges - and opportunities - ahead. Confusing and contradictory, memorable and vibrant.Jennifer Cameron-Smith
review 2: At last, finished reading this book. As a born-and-bred Indonesian, I can say this is the most complete book about modern Indonesia I've ever read, as it combines travel journals, cultural events reports, political and economics commentaries, backed by citations from sociologists, with snippets of ordinary people's life taken from a not-so-foreign-anymore-foreigner's point of view. I like the way everything blends in a flowing yet chaotic manner: that's the way life goes in Indonesia. I would also praise the author for her neutral stance: too often similar books written by Indonesians are too patriotic to the extent of fanatic, while those written by foreigners often miniscule local wisdom as they try to fit Indonesia inside their contemporary Western culture box. By the way, disclaimer first, this book is very rich in details, especially in describing physical objects, so don't be fooled with the number of page: you will need to spend extra time picturing in mind something exclusive to Indonesia (and for Indonesians, you still need to spare time to decode what is the two-word Indonesian phrase behind a fifty-word paragraph). For my non-Indonesian friends, I recommend you to read this book to shatter stereotypes about Indonesia; the real and complete 13466-island Indonesia, not just the typical Java and Bali you heard from someone's holiday, not just the typical highly criminal and hot tempered Jakarta, Surabaya or Medan you heard from those "lucky" ones who escape from "Indonesian" cruelness.For my Indonesian friends, especially those from bigger cities, I also recommend you to read this book. You'll learn more about what is really happening in other parts of Indonesia from this book compare to your Orde Baru censored IPS textbooks. You'll be amazed how daily phenomenon for Indonesian can be seen in an interesting light.Overall, I give a 4 out of 5 stars for this book. I spare the last star due to my personal preference of reading more narrative rather than descriptive writing, and for the author's tendency to choose lengthy phrases spammed with dramatic words (which have reduced dramatic effects as they become the norm).By the way, reading this book in Jakarta makes me feel like I'm one its antagonistic character, if you know what I mean. less

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