Credit and debt in Indonesia, 860-1930 : from peonage to pawnshop, from kongsi to cooperative

Credit and debt are practical concerns of all times and places. They are also increasingly important topics in economic history and the social sciences, from Marcel Mauss and the anthropology of the gift to the urgent quest for understanding of today's global credit crunch. This volume brings together eight essays on credit and debt in the history of Indonesia, where for centuries debt and debt bondage played central roles in the organization of society, and where efforts to combat 'usury' and free peasants from indebtedness were central to the ethical and nationalist movements of the late colonial period. Topics range from the inscriptions of ninth-century Java to the first global financial crisis in 1930, and from Islamic laws against the charging of interest to the role of Chinese temples and Dutch church charities as credit providers. The history of credit and debt in Indonesia is examined from a wide variety of perspectives - legal, institutional, and cultural as well as economic. Attention is paid to parallels and contrasts with more recent developments, including the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and Indonesia's rise to fame as a pioneer of the current global microfinance revolution.

From China to Facebookistan, the Internet has transformed global commerce. A cyber-law expert argues that we must free Internet trade while simultaneously protecting consumers.

On the ancient Silk Road, treasure-laden caravans made their arduous way through deserts and mountain passes, establishing trade between Asia and the civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean. Today’s electronic Silk Roads ferry information across continents, enabling individuals and corporations anywhere to provide or receive services without obtaining a visa. But the legal infrastructure for such trade is yet rudimentary and uncertain. If an event in cyberspace occurs at once everywhere and nowhere, what law applies? How can consumers be protected when engaging with companies across the world?

In this accessible book, cyber-law expert Anupam Chander provides the first thorough discussion of the law that relates to global Internet commerce. Addressing up-to-the-minute examples, such as Google’s struggles with China, the Pirate Bay’s skirmishes with Hollywood, and the outsourcing of services to India, the author insightfully analyzes the difficulties of regulating Internet trade. Chander then lays out a framework for future policies, showing how countries can dismantle barriers while still protecting consumer interests.

Contents Preface Contributors 1. Credit and Debt in Indonesian History: An Introduction 2. Preliminary Notes on Debt and Credit in Early Island Southeast Asia 3. “Following the Debt”: Credit and Debt in Southeast Asian Legal Theory and Practice, 1400–1800 4. Credit among the Early Modern To Wajoq 5. Money in Makassar: Credit and Debt in an Eighteenth-Century VOC Settlement 6. Money and Credit in Chinese Mercantile Operations in Colonial and Precolonial Southeast Asia 7. A Colonial Debt Crisis: Surabaya in the Late 1890s 8. Credit and the Colonial State: The Reform of Capital Markets on Java, 1900–30 Appendix Index EUROSEAS Conference (4th : 2004 : Paris, France) ; Six papers from the 4th Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Studies, held in Paris, Sept. 2004.Consumer credit—Indonesia.Moneylenders—Indonesia.Co-published for distribution in Europe by KITLV Press