Publication Type

Book Review

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

9-2020

Abstract

In Indonesia: Twenty years of democracy, Jamie S. Davidson looks back over the two decades since Soeharto’s fall, focusing on the ‘tensions, inconsistencies, and contradictory puzzles of Indonesia’s democracy’ (p. 4). Refreshingly, the book moves beyond the common approach of studying the similarities and differences between the contemporary democratic period and the Soeharto era. Davidson identifies, labels and skilfully guides the reader through three separate eras in Indonesia’s recent democratic history: the innovation period (1998–2004), the stagnation period (2004–14) and the period of polarisation (2014–18). Each era is analysed in parallel fashion, with subsections on politics, political economy and identity-based mobilisation. As such, the book offers a clear structure and, drawing on a wealth of academic research on Indonesia, packs a vast breadth of knowledge into a concise volume.

Keywords

Indonesia, democracy, politics, book review

Discipline

Asian Studies | Political History | Political Science

Research Areas

Political Science

Publication

Journal of Southeast Asian Studies

Volume

51

Issue

3

First Page

495

Last Page

497

ISSN

0022-4634

Identifier

10.1017/S0022463420000569

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022463420000569

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