Indonesian Economic Decolonization in Indonesia in Regional and International Perspective

This collection of essays provides insights into the earn; process of economic decolonization in Indonesia fro variety of perspectives. Emancipation from Dutch colonialism in the economic sphere is linked to unique features of the new nation-state as it emerged in independent Indonesia. This Included a key role in business for the military. Another key part was played by indigenous Indonesian business firms that were shaped by the Japanese occupation and the Indonesian Revolution.

The analysis embraces two types of comparisons. Different experiences of economic decolonization across regions are illustrated by events unfolding in the agricultural estate areas of Deli in North Sumatra and Jember in East Java. Here the focus is on confrontations between private Dutch capital and Indonesian labour unions. In addition, the overall experience of Indonesia is assessed in the light of similar processes at work in other former European colonies in Asia, in particular neighbouring Malaysia. This international comparison shows how dramatic and difficult economic decolonization was and also how profound its consequences were.

The eight essays in this volume draw on a wide range of primary source materials consulted in Dutch and Indonesian archives. They present detailed evidence of what economic decolonization entailed, especially during the transfer of sovereignty in 1949 and the nationalization of Dutch companies in 1959. The volume contains essays by specialists from Indonesia, the Netherlands and Australia: Tri Chandra Apriyanto, Anne Booth, Jasper van de Kerkhof, J. Thomas Lindblad (editor), Daan Marks, Peter Post (editor), Bambang Purwanto, and Thee Kian Wie.