Reviews for A History of Modern Indonesia since C. 1200

The average rating for A History of Modern Indonesia since C. 1200 based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-08-21 00:00:00 Deborah Panella Very informative book. Hard to get into at first when you don't know the subject at all. Lots of unfamiliar place names, all maps tucked at the back but would have been helpful in the chapters where mentioned. Subheadings would have also made the text easier to read and navigate. That said, Ricklefs is a real expert and warns you the reader at the beginning that his preference in history writing is less for interpretation and generalization, to go into the detail and cite the evidence to let you draw your own conclusions. Once you get used to his style it's gripping as you follow the stories as they unfold in Java, Sumatra, Bali and the outer islands. You can really feel you understand Indonesia better by the end. For most periods This is much more detailed than Adrian Vickers' modern history of Indonesia. E.g Sukarno's relationship with Nasution is much more illuminated by Ricklefs. But post Suharto, Vickers has more to tell. Vickers also relies on conversations with thousands he has spoken to.

Review # 2 was written on 2007-08-14 00:00:00 Lee Carter Hikayat..." konon dalam sebuah hadist Nabi Muhammad di daerah timur yang bernama samudera akan banyak melahir orang2 suci, maka bergeraklah orang2 arab ke Indonesia" itu adalah salah satu bagian dari buku ini yang mengesankan buat gw...ternyata negeri gw punya banyak misteri...hidup Indonesia, sayang yang nulis orang australia, ayo penulis Indonesia, tulislah sejarah kita.