A History of Modern Indonesia: Since c. 1200 by M.C. Ricklefs

Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation on earth, a main producer of oil and other resources, and the most populous nation of the Islamic world. It is heir to vigorous pre-Islamic traditions and fascinating cultural heritages. If this impossibly diverse mix of cultures and languages didn’t already exist, no one could ever possibly invent it.
 
This is why when you read Indonesian history you are actually reading world history. This complex and sprawling island nation is a subtle blend of every culture that ever landed on its shores - Chinese, Indian, Melanesian, Portuguese, Polynesian, Arabian, English, Dutch, American - wave after wave of invaders and migrants who either absorbed earlier arrivals, killed them off, or pushed them into more remote regions of the present day Republic. This ongoing and unending process explains Indonesia’s astounding ethnic diversity today.
 
A History of Modern Indonesia: Since c. 1200, now in its third edition, is an authoritative history of Indonesia since the coming of Islam. Completely revised in the light of new research, using sources in both Indonesian and Western languages. the new edition includes four new chapters covering western Indonesia c. 1640-1800, the Soeharto regime at its height in 1976-88, the decline and collapse of that regime during 1989-98, as well as the turbulent post-Soeharto period.
 
The eminent Indonesianist M. C. Ricklefs has taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and Monash University. He is currently Director of the Melbourne Institute of Asian Languages and Societies at the University of Melbourne.
 
The emphasis throughout his book is on the history of the Indonesian peoples themselves from the time of their first encounter with the Dutch in the 1500s, the colonial era from 1600 to 1945, the nation’s independence in 1945, and the recent reform period since 2000. This third edition is also is the first to be illustrated, with the addition of 22 drawings and photographs.
 
Behind the narrative structure, the book poses the important question of how the diverse but related linguistic and ethnic communities of the archipelago became a modern nation. Although some prior knowledge of Indonesian history is necessary to appreciate the country’s historical saga, the book sheds important light on present criseses and challenges facing Indonesia.
 
Best suited for serious students and South East Asia scholars, A History of Modern Indonesia is an outstanding and readable reference work on the colorful history of one of the world’s least understood countries from the perspective of a well-informed and insightful European intellectual.
 
A History of Modern Indonesia: Since c. 1200  by M.C. Ricklefs, Stanford University Press 2002, ISBN 080-474-4807, 495 pages in softcover, dimensions 8.9 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches, shipping weight 1.7 pounds, notes and references, bibliography, maps, index. 
 
Available for Rp300,000 at Periplus Bookshops in the Bali Galleria and in the Matahari in Kuta, Warung Made in Seminyak, Ngurah Rai Airport (both international and domestic terminals), in Gramedia Bookstores, and in Ary’s, Ganesha and Periplus bookshops of Ubud or online from the Stanford University Press website. Estimated ground shipment to Indonesia: Rp60,000.
 
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