A Short History of Indonesia: The Unlikely Nation? (Short History of Asia series, A)

This succinct work of history charts the growth of Indonesia, a remarkable nation of more than 6,000 inhabited islands. With lucid originality, the text incorporates more than 2 million years of history with depth and brevity—particularly focusing on Indonesia's development into a microcosm of a multi-ethnic modern world. Many current concerns are perceptively addressed, such as the legacy of European-Asian trade, Dutch colonialism, and the emergence of what has become the largest Muslim population in the world. New in the Short Histories of Asia series, edited by Milton Osborne, this is a readable, well-informed and comprehensive history of Indonesia and its peoples, from ancient origins to the present day.Islamic, authoritarian, democratic, developing, disintegrating, Indonesia is an enigma to outside observers who have never seemed sure just what it is. The largest country in its region, Indonesia holds the key to Southeast Asia's future, while recent developments (demands for greater regional autonomy, ethnic, political and religious conflict) are making the archipelago significant on the world stage and prompting re-examination of its history. As a state Indonesia is a twentieth-century creation, but its peoples'roots go deeper. Through the exchange of ideas, myths, rulers, religions and trade goods, they share a history two millennia long. Occupying a key section of the east Asia-Europe trade route, Indonesia was influenced by external forces, including the religion of Islam and Dutch colonialism. Today, it has the largest Muslim population in the world. How were these societies brought into interaction with each other, eventually to produce the single state of modern Indonesia? And how have the peoples of independent Indonesia tried to resolve the consequences of that unity since?Colin Brown brings the latest research to bear on Indonesian history in this readable, comprehensive volume. From the earliest recorded history to the classical empires, through colonialism and Japanese occupation, Sukarno and Suharto and the 1999 elections, to present-day tensions and beyond, this is an important book for anyone wanting to understand how Indonesia came to be, and what its future holds. New in the Short Histories of Asia series, edited by Milton Osborne, this is a readable, well-informed and comprehensive history of Indonesia and its peoples, from ancient origins to the present day.Islamic, authoritarian, democratic, developing, disintegrating, Indonesia is an enigma to outside observers who have never seemed sure just what it is.The largest country in its region, Indonesia holds the key to Southeast Asia's future, while recent developments (demands for greater regional autonomy, ethnic, political and religious conflict) are making the archipelago significant on the world stage and prompting re-examination of its history.As a state Indonesia is a twentieth-century creation, but its peoples' roots go deeper. Through the exchange of ideas, myths, rulers, religions and trade goods, they share a history two millennia long. Occupying a key section of the east Asia-Europe trade route, Indonesia was influenced by external forces, including the religion of Islam and Dutch colonialism. Today, it has the largest Muslim population in the world. How were these societies brought into interaction with each other, eventually to produce the single state of modern Indonesia? And how have the peoples of independent Indonesia tried to resolve the consequences of that unity since?Colin Brown brings the latest research to bear on Indonesian history in this readable, comprehensive volume. From the earliest recorded history to the classical empires, through colonialism and Japanese occupation, Sukarno and Suharto and the 1999 elections, to present-day tensions and beyond, this is an important book for anyone wanting to understand how Indonesia came to be, and what its future holds. Charts the growth of Indonesia, a nation of more than 6,000 inhabited islands. This book focuses on Indonesia's development into a microcosm of a multi-ethnic modern world. It addresses the legacy of European-Asian trade, Dutch colonialism, and the emergence of what has become the largest Muslim population in the world. A comprehensive history of Indonesia and its peoples, from ancient origins to the present day. Colin Brown brings contemporary research to bear on Indonesian history in this readable volume which explores Indonesia from the earliest recorded history through colonialism, to the 21st century