Reviews for Rethinking Indonesia

The average rating for Rethinking Indonesia based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-01-19 00:00:00 Jim Pappas Rethinking Indonesia is probably one of the most influential text for my reading on postcolonialism in Indonesia. Mapping the 5 hegemonic texts on Indonesia—namely (1) Nationalism and Revolution in Indonesia (McTurnan Kahin, 1952), (2) The Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia (Herbert Feith, 1962), (3) The Army and Politics in Indonesia (Harold Crouch, 1978), (4) Indonesia: The Rise of Capital (Richard Robison, 1986), and (5) The Idea of Power in Javanese Culture (Benedict R. O’G. Anderson, 1990)—Philpott’s book revolves around two big influences in orientalism (Edward W. Said) as well biopolitic and power/knowledge (Michel Foucault). As an Indonesian, reading this book gives me a lot material to contemplate, from the obvious ones such as ‘the nuance of the study of Indonesian-ness’ and ‘why Indonesian study of postcolonialism is centered in its relation with the US after WWII?’, to the more philosophical ones such as ‘what counts as knowledge in Indonesian study?’ and ‘how is it that modern Indonesia the product of discipline governed by its colonizer(s)?’.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-05-23 00:00:00 Desiree Delay Braude argues that Spiritualists constituted the radical wing of the women's rights movement during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Spiritualism was a radically individualistic philosophy, which affirmed every individual's access to spiritual truth and in fact considered women somewhat more spiritually sensitive than men. This special sensitivity of women meant that they had the potential to be a very positive influence on America's male-dominated society. This meant that for spiritualists-- who also supported other radical reform movements such as abolition and temperance-- women's rights became the mother of all reforms. The liberation of women from oppressive traditional roles would be the liberation of women's power to cure other social ills. Although spiritualists did not ultimately set the agenda of the women's rights movement, they did contribute substantial energy, talent, and personnel. Overall, a very interesting and persuasive book, and an excellent example of a religious movement that had a substantive positive impact on American politics and society.