Knowing Indonesia: Intersections of Self, Discipline and Nation

Description

This is the first book in almost two decades to bring together scholars of Indonesia from the Australian academy in a single volume to reflect on and engage in a deep critique of their field. This is a timely contribution. The importance of Indonesia to Australia has never been more acute and it is essential that we have the tools for interpreting and understanding our nearest neighbour. Investigation of debates within the field of Indonesian studies will help us interpret better the perceptions and politics informing our study. As is befitting the multi-disciplinary nature of Indonesian studies, the book brings together leading political scientists, historians and anthropologists to give their unique perspectives and analysis of this field in the Australian academy and elsewhere in the West. This approach results in some divergent views on the fundamental questions of how Indonesia should be studied and the uses of Indonesia knowledge for activism, and presents new ideas about how we might pursue our work in the future.

Jemma Purdey is an Adjunct Fellow in the School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University. She is author of Anti-Chinese Violence in Indonesia, 1999-1996, Singapore: ASAA SEA Publication Series, NUS Publishing, 2006 and From Vienna to Yogyakarta: The life of Herb Feith, Sydney: UNSW Press, 2011.