Category: Toko Buku

As it’s provocative title suggests, the long, slow, irreversible death of primitive art is the subject of this important, very readable and refreshingly contrarian view of the Primitive Art world of museums, art theorists, mail-order catalogs, boutiques, tourism and world events. Ironically, the artifacts and textiles of marginalized people like the Papuans, Dayaks and Lesser […]

These two Indonesian language books, though meant for readerships at opposite ends of the spectrum of life experience, are both beginning language learning aids. One is aimed at a child and the other at the seasoned traveler. The first helps a very young person to start learning the language and culture while the other helps […]

The Wisdom of Whores is a passionate, intensely honest and thankfully politically incorrect book that tells how sex and drugs have turned the global epidemic of HIV into a billion-dollar-a-year industry. Elizabeth Pisani, who studied AIDS for 14 years, shows sides of Indonesia that we didn’t know existed and takes a no-holds-barred approach to finding […]

The Art of the Lesser Sundas by A F Granucci The Art of the Lesser Sundas is the first book that deals comprehensively with the art of Indonesiarsquos southeastern islands in its entirety Until this book only monographs have been published on the arts of single islands or focused on a particular art tradition usually textiles or dealt with art pieces of individual islands in publications covering a broader framework of ldquoSoutheast Tribal Artrdquo such as various publications of Musee BarbierMuller The whole history of Lesser Sunda art is fascinating The art of this specific region has for many years been difficult to categorize which ultimately resulted in it being neglected and ignored This is because of the attitude that if a Southeast Asian ethnic group hadnrsquot been influenced by India or China i

Bali A Paradise Created by Adrian VickersBali A Paradise Created is a penetrating and unafraid examination of the manufacturing of the islandrsquos image to serve political economic and cultural purposes This important book explores the underlying social and cultural forces that have shaped the ultimately enduring image of Bali that we have today It gives expression to multiple voices in the experience of Bali including insights gleaned from oral history interviews with the Balinese themselves Over the past four centuries of Balirsquos modern history this tiny island is unique in that it has been subject to a number of widely divergent images From the 16th to the 18th C Bali was perceived to be chaotic and violent ndash an island of theft murder anarchy and despotic decadence by Dutch colonists and early European writers These im

Menagerie 3 by Lontar FoundationAs is the case with every volume in Lontarrsquos enduring and lively Menagerie series this potpourri of literary pieces has a great deal of variety About half the book comprises the masterful short stories of Idrus written against the backdrop of tumultuous historic events but the collection also includes a provocative black and white photo essay and accompany text from East Timor under brutal Indonesian rule an anguishfilled 8page prose poem fictional accounts taken from life about the courageous actions of individual women an essay on the conflict between liberal Islamic thought versus the forces of a more orthodox interpretation of Islam and an essay on restrictions placed on academic freedom Idrus 19211979 one of the best Indonesian writers of the modern era ironically produced most of his best work in Malaysia during selfimposed exile He

All About Indonesia by Linda HibbsAll About Indonesia is a childrens book that takes children on an adventure through one of the worlds largest and most culturally diverse countries Along the way kids are introduced to what everyday life is currently like for its inhabitants The book has a little bit of everything offering an overview of Indonesian landscapes history government language culture food transportation systems the countrys natural beauty special celebrations and variety of religions Most books that have been produced about Indonesia for children tend to give a geographical tour of the main islands with accompanying photos often throwing in statistics and historical information that children cant really relate to Targeted to 3rd to 5th grade children a unique aspect of All About Indonesia are the hands on activities that allow kids or par

Majapahit Style by Made WijayaRegarded as the Golden Age of Indonesian history the maritime empire of Majapahit reached its apogee in the 14th century Though it thrived for only 300 years late 13th C to early 16th C Majapahit was Indonesias greatest state the last in a long line of Buddhist and Hindu Javanese kingdoms Islam had ostensibly erased Indian cultural traditions by the 16th century yet BuddhistHindu traces can still be seen in the rituals and architecture of the kraton courts of Bali and central Java and innumerable motifs and styles of the earlier Hindu culture are found everywhere in Indonesian art Made Wijayas new Majapahit Style addresses two overriding questions how much of a role has Majapahit played in Javanese and Balinese history and how much influence does Majapahti still exert in the Indonesia of today Though Wijaya may not be a professor emeritus in Asian studies or the first to shine multi

Balinese Food by Dr Vivienne Kruger Balinese Food is a different kind of cookbook a combined ldquosociological cookbookrdquo and ldquocultural traveloguerdquo that has been written from the worldview of the Balinese themselves The book is actually an extended essay that explores the exotic world of Balinese cooking a cuisine that is an inextricable part of the islands culture and community life In 20 detailed chapters Vivienne Kruger explains Balis foods and food history in the broad contexts of traditional village customs society and religious ceremonies with chapters on the Balinese kitchen the joy of snacking at a roadside food stall warung visiting a traditional Balinese market preparing delicious satay with a Balinese twist brewing potent Balinese coffee as well as sections devoted to ingredients equipment and resources In her 10 years 20032013 of meticulous handson research Kruge

Indonesia Etc by Elizabeth PisaniNever hesitating to let a complete stranger take her home in the opening scene of Indonesia Etc the author is invited into a house to meet someones dead grandmother From that moment on the reader is captured In her discursive and wideranging travel book covering hundreds of topics and destinations Elizabeth Pisani manages to almost make sense of this maddening 4200 kmlong string of islands that she describes as a ldquogiant bad boyfriendrdquo and ldquoone of the most invisible countries in the worldrdquo Having spent a total of 25 years in Indonesia this hardworking and dedicated journalist is eminently qualified to serve as a knowledgeable spokesperson for Indonesia and an eloquent interpreter of its diverse cultures Even before embarking on her research for the book Pisani had already earned her stripes as a Reuters correspondent assigned to this sprawling country Thoug