Indonesia Beyond Suharto: Polity, Economy, Society, Transition.

Publication: SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia

Publication Date: 01-APR-01

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS)

Indonesia Beyond Suharto: Polity, Economy, Society, Transition. Edited by Donald K. Emmerson. New York: Asia Society and M.E. Sharpe, 1999. 295 pp.

Indonesia Beyond Suharto is an edited volume that covers various aspects of the New Order Regime -- the four words of the subtitle above constitute the four parts of this book.

Like a number other books published in the last few years on Indonesia, the bulk of the content is written prior to Soeharto's fall, in this case with an attempt to update the situation with two additional chapters at the end. One sympathizes with the editor and the various contributors, rapidly overtaken by events as the Indonesia they describe has changed markedly. Emmerson justifies the title on the grounds that much of Indonesian society was beyond Soeharto in the sense that "they lived their lives beyond him", further adding that "`Suharto's Indonesia' has never been more than a metaphor" (p. ix). The casual browser would assume that "beyond" Soeharto was chronological, rather than a description of limitations on the reach of the state. Would "Soeharto and Beyond" have been a better title? There are also a number of other smaller errors that have crept into this volume.

However, it is important not to dwell on these difficulties, as Indonesia Beyond Suharto is a very useful addition to the material on Indonesia. All...

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