Communal Violence and Democratization in Indonesia

Gerry van Klinken is a Research Fellow at KITLV/ Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, The Netherlands.

• 1. Introduction 2. Why Now? Temporal Contexts 3. Why Here? The Town beyond Java 4. Identity Formation in West Kalimantan 5. Escalation in Poso 6. Mobilization in Ambon 7. Polarization in North Maluku 8. Actor Constitution in Central Kalimantan 9. Concluding Reflections

'...In a way few more ethnographically intensive studies can, van Klinken's volume will be exceptionally useful to students of contentious politics. In particular, the volume offers a way to bring serious discussion of Indonesia - and of a very tidy set of case studies - into classes on comparative politics, nationalism, or political violence. Moreover, the volume's conciseness and eminent readability, as well as the very fact that by not claiming to have all the answers, van Klinken invites debate and discussion, make it all the more suited for classroom use.' Meredith Weiss, Democratization'...Van Klinken's equally structuralist account looks up from the inequalities and tensions of district and region. It is an unexpectedly revelatory vantage point, and Van Klinken explores it with empirical rigor, theoretical originality, and narrative brilliance.' Bob Hefner, Journal of Asian Studies"I found that van Klinken’s book works very well when teaching undergraduates. I used it in an undergraduate course on communal violence in Indonesia, and my students enjoyed the book, easily understood van Klinken’s arguments, and found the text to be informative. It would also work well in graduate courses. The book has been translated into Indonesian and could be used in Indonesian universities as well...van Klinken’s book is a welcome addition to the expanding corpus of work on violence in Indonesia and should be required reading for anyone interested in the topic of communal violence in Southeast Asia." - Christopher R. Duncan, Indonesia 87 (April 2009)