What holds Indonesia together? In The Making of Middle Indonesia, Gerry van Klinken develops an innovative historical explanation that looks beyond national elites to middle classes in provincial towns.
The popular 1998 reformasi movement that brought down President Suharto’s regime demanded an end to illegal practices by state officials, from human rights abuse to nepotistic investments. Yet today, such practices have proven more resistant to reform than people had hoped. Many have said corruption in Indonesia is “entrenched”. We argue it is precisely this entrenched character that requ…