ABSTRACT
Indonesia is a vast tropical archipelago undergoing historic political changes. Braudel (1993: 262) accurately describes Indonesia as being ‘at the centre of a compass rose’, for it has ‘constantly felt the shocks of even very distant events’. Major historical influences, both near and distant, include early Indian, Chinese, Arab and European voyagers and merchants, the great Hindu empires of Majapahit, Mataram and Sriwijaya, the gradual coming of Islam, and centuries of Dutch colonialism. Prompted by the shocks of regional financial crises and domestic protests, Indonesia underwent a political transition in May 1998 leading to a highly contested process of adat revivalism. This book therefore examines the politics of adat revivalism in the enabling context of decentralization, drawing on case studies from the provinces of South Sulawesi and West Sulawesi.
