A. H. Nasution and Indonesia's Elites

"People's Resistance" in the War of Independence and Postwar Politics

Nonfiction, History, Asian, Southeast Asia, Military, Other, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International
Cover of the book A. H. Nasution and Indonesia's Elites by Barry Turner, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Barry Turner ISBN: 9781498560122
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: November 17, 2017
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Barry Turner
ISBN: 9781498560122
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: November 17, 2017
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

This is an account of the military, political and personal life of Abdul Harus Nasution who was a seminal figure in modern Indonesian history in the years prior to his effective sidelining in the 1960s. He was an important commander during Indonesia’s struggle for independence, who rose to become a key leader of the Indonesian armed forces under the first president, Sukarno. Perhaps more significantly, he developed ideas about guerrilla warfare that developed into a sophisticated and socially conservative doctrine for the mobilising of civilian communities. This, in turn, became the underpinning of the repressive, military-backed New Order regime of Indonesia’s second president, Suharto, who ruled from 1966 until 1998, and which Nasution initially supported.

Understanding Nasution’s thinking about ‘total people’s resistance’ is therefore very important for understanding the broader trajectory of Indonesian political history. That includes both the New Order and the emerging democratic regime that developed after its collapse. The new political system that called itself ‘the Refom Era’ was, in many ways, a direct reaction to the New Order military's penetration and close control of Indonesian society but it has never dismantled the ‘shadow’ state’ structure of the armed forces that Nasution designed and Suharto perfected. In other words, as this book shows, Nasution’s legacy still looms large today in Jokowi’s Indonesia.

This is not the first assessment of Nasution’s life but it differs from earlier works by its investigation of Nasution’s personal life and, in particular, his relationship with the well-off and well-connected Gondokusumo family, of which he became a member by his marriage to Johana Sunarti Gondokusumo. The author’s thorough investigation of Nasution’s relationship with Sunarti and her father offers important new insights into how Nasution’s ideas evolved, as does the translations of important extracts from Nasution’s own voluminous writing included in the text.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This is an account of the military, political and personal life of Abdul Harus Nasution who was a seminal figure in modern Indonesian history in the years prior to his effective sidelining in the 1960s. He was an important commander during Indonesia’s struggle for independence, who rose to become a key leader of the Indonesian armed forces under the first president, Sukarno. Perhaps more significantly, he developed ideas about guerrilla warfare that developed into a sophisticated and socially conservative doctrine for the mobilising of civilian communities. This, in turn, became the underpinning of the repressive, military-backed New Order regime of Indonesia’s second president, Suharto, who ruled from 1966 until 1998, and which Nasution initially supported.

Understanding Nasution’s thinking about ‘total people’s resistance’ is therefore very important for understanding the broader trajectory of Indonesian political history. That includes both the New Order and the emerging democratic regime that developed after its collapse. The new political system that called itself ‘the Refom Era’ was, in many ways, a direct reaction to the New Order military's penetration and close control of Indonesian society but it has never dismantled the ‘shadow’ state’ structure of the armed forces that Nasution designed and Suharto perfected. In other words, as this book shows, Nasution’s legacy still looms large today in Jokowi’s Indonesia.

This is not the first assessment of Nasution’s life but it differs from earlier works by its investigation of Nasution’s personal life and, in particular, his relationship with the well-off and well-connected Gondokusumo family, of which he became a member by his marriage to Johana Sunarti Gondokusumo. The author’s thorough investigation of Nasution’s relationship with Sunarti and her father offers important new insights into how Nasution’s ideas evolved, as does the translations of important extracts from Nasution’s own voluminous writing included in the text.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book Kant, Fichte, and the Legacy of Transcendental Idealism by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Emerging Aesthetic Imaginaries by Barry Turner
Cover of the book An Alternative History of Bicycles and Motorcycles by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Creating Organic Standards in U.S. States by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Warning Signs of Genocide by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Contesting Colonial Authority by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Sons of the Fathers by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Unsettling Sikh and Muslim Conflict by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Ecology and Existence by Barry Turner
Cover of the book The New Geopolitics of the South Caucasus by Barry Turner
Cover of the book China Learns from the Soviet Union, 1949–Present by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Is Marx's Theory of Profit Right? by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Justice Stephen Field's Cooperative Constitution of Liberty by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Teaching in an Age of Ideology by Barry Turner
Cover of the book Echoes from the Poisoned Well by Barry Turner
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy