Review by Choice Review
Collins (classics and world religions, and Southeast Asian Studies Program, Ohio Univ.) views the 1998 overthrow of the authoritarian Suharto regime by the reformasi movement in Indonesia in the context of earlier democracy movements in France, showing similarities between the 1848 Paris revolt and the democracy movement in Indonesia. Part diary and part observation as a result of residence (1971-73) and research (1992-94) in Sumatra, the book is tainted by political conviction. That Suharto was a corrupt dictator is not in dispute, but Collins dismisses the New Order era and overlooks significant achievements. Despite kleptomania and mismanagement, the tide of sustained economic growth during Suharto's presidency lifted a lot of boats. The author's stories of populist resistance to the Suharto regime's "development" policies lament that "Villagers who once derived a sustainable livelihood from the land have been forced to migrate to cities ... swelling the numbers of the unemployed ...," ignoring that population grew from about 100 million in 1965 to 175 million in 1988, and 235 million in 2007. Collins's assertion that free market capitalism is an undesirable "utopian ideology" implies that socialism and Marxism may reflect realism. Summing Up: Optional. Only comprehensive research collections. F. L. Mokhtari National Defense University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
