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Bali: An Open Fortress 1995-2005
Long portrayed as a cultural safe haven, the Indonesian island of Bali is facing fundamental challenges as the political, religious and economic landscape changes. The book investigates the effects of decentralization and democratization on Balinese politics, and looks at the role played by urban intellectuals in reinforcing Balinese identity.
Bali needs the outside world (tourists, capital, cheap labour) but the island’s people feel threatened by outside forces (powerful investors, Western decadence, Islam). Henk Schulte Nordholt characterizes it as an open fortress, accepting external influences while struggling to protect itself from them. In this book he investigates how Indonesia’s reformasi has affected caste relationships and is reshaping power relations at the provincial, district and village level. While his work highlights the role of criminal gangs and violent conflicts at the local level, he also considers the promised offered by local democracy.
Bali needs the outside world (tourists, capital, cheap labour) but the island’s people feel threatened by outside forces (powerful investors, Western decadence, Islam). Henk Schulte Nordholt characterizes it as an open fortress, accepting external influences while struggling to protect itself from them. In this book he investigates how Indonesia’s reformasi has affected caste relationships and is reshaping power relations at the provincial, district and village level. While his work highlights the role of criminal gangs and violent conflicts at the local level, he also considers the promised offered by local democracy.
120 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2007
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About the author
Henk Schulte Nordholt
28 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Henk Schulte Nordholt (former head of research at KITLV) is Honorary Fellow at KITLV and emeritus professor of Indonesian History at Leiden University. His main fields of research include Southeast Asian history, contemporary politics in Indonesia, political violence, and the anthropology of colonialism. He has a special interest in Balinese studies.
Schulte Nordholt studied history at the VU University in Amsterdam, from which he graduated in 1980 (cum laude). In 1988 he obtained his PhD degree (cum laude) in social sciences at the Free University with a thesis on the history of the political system on the island of Bali. He taught anthropology and Asian history at the University of Amsterdam from 1985 until 2005. From 1999 until 2007 he was IIAS professor of Asian History at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and from 2007 until 2014 Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the VU University in Amsterdam. He was the Head of Research at KITLV from 2002-2019.
He has coordinated a large Dutch Indonesian research program ‘Governance, Markets and Citizens (2013-2017)’, which is sponsored by the Scientific Program Indonesia – Netherlands (SPIN), and is currently coordinating the research project ‘’Indonesia in Transition: From Revolution to Nation-Building, 1943-1958’ (2017-2021), which is financed by NWO. Together with Harry Poeze he will write a new overview of the Indonesian revolution which will appear in 2022.
Henk Schulte Nordholt (former head of research at KITLV) is Honorary Fellow at KITLV and emeritus professor of Indonesian History at Leiden University. His main fields of research include Southeast Asian history, contemporary politics in Indonesia, political violence, and the anthropology of colonialism. He has a special interest in Balinese studies.
Schulte Nordholt studied history at the VU University in Amsterdam, from which he graduated in 1980 (cum laude). In 1988 he obtained his PhD degree (cum laude) in social sciences at the Free University with a thesis on the history of the political system on the island of Bali. He taught anthropology and Asian history at the University of Amsterdam from 1985 until 2005. From 1999 until 2007 he was IIAS professor of Asian History at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and from 2007 until 2014 Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the VU University in Amsterdam. He was the Head of Research at KITLV from 2002-2019.
He has coordinated a large Dutch Indonesian research program ‘Governance, Markets and Citizens (2013-2017)’, which is sponsored by the Scientific Program Indonesia – Netherlands (SPIN), and is currently coordinating the research project ‘’Indonesia in Transition: From Revolution to Nation-Building, 1943-1958’ (2017-2021), which is financed by NWO. Together with Harry Poeze he will write a new overview of the Indonesian revolution which will appear in 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 10, 2017
This book presents an excellent overview of and insight into recent developments in Indonesia as played out in Bali, breaking new ground not only as the first monograph on regional autonomy in Indonesia, but also with its attention to electoral process and the role of media and violence.
The author also detailed many factors that influenced Bali of today. His interpretation of Ajeg Bali, a movement focused on preserving and strengthening traditional Balinese religion and values, is right on the spot. Having lived in Bali for 17 years, I can see Bali has been threatened by powerful forms of investment, tourism, materialism, environmental degradation, radical Islam, and an influx of Muslim migrant workers. And to these it is interesting to read how the author's attempt to explain it, one point to note: this book was published in 2006-2007 many things have changed further.
The author also detailed many factors that influenced Bali of today. His interpretation of Ajeg Bali, a movement focused on preserving and strengthening traditional Balinese religion and values, is right on the spot. Having lived in Bali for 17 years, I can see Bali has been threatened by powerful forms of investment, tourism, materialism, environmental degradation, radical Islam, and an influx of Muslim migrant workers. And to these it is interesting to read how the author's attempt to explain it, one point to note: this book was published in 2006-2007 many things have changed further.
January 29, 2013
Saya membaca buku ini untuk memahami "kembali" kondisi sosial masyarakat Bali pada periode tersebut. Setelah memutuskan hubungan fisik yang cukup lama, sebagian pada tahun-tahun yang digambarkan oleh buku tersebut, tidak terasa ada jarak psikologis yang turut mengikuti, sehingga saya perlu "membaca" kondisi saat ini seperti layaknya orang asing.
Buku ini membuat saya memahami perubahan sosial politik masyarakat Bali sebelum, selama, dan sesudah gerakan reformasi 1998. Buku ini menggambarkan suasana jiwa dan pergolakan politik masyarakat Bali: ketegangan Bali sebagai entitas unik secara sosial budaya dan sebagai bagian dari entitas negara dengan sistem yang mengikutinya. Jarak yang saya sadari selama ini menjadikan saya sedikit paham apa yang dimaksud penulis dan lebih terbuka.
Buku ini merupakan potret sosial politik pada masyarakat yang lebih dikenal dengan keramahan sikap dan kreativitas budinya, namun dibalik itu kompleksitas sistem sosial menggambarkan corak masyarakat yang "agak" berbeda.
Buku ini membuat saya memahami perubahan sosial politik masyarakat Bali sebelum, selama, dan sesudah gerakan reformasi 1998. Buku ini menggambarkan suasana jiwa dan pergolakan politik masyarakat Bali: ketegangan Bali sebagai entitas unik secara sosial budaya dan sebagai bagian dari entitas negara dengan sistem yang mengikutinya. Jarak yang saya sadari selama ini menjadikan saya sedikit paham apa yang dimaksud penulis dan lebih terbuka.
Buku ini merupakan potret sosial politik pada masyarakat yang lebih dikenal dengan keramahan sikap dan kreativitas budinya, namun dibalik itu kompleksitas sistem sosial menggambarkan corak masyarakat yang "agak" berbeda.
March 31, 2013
Observasi Henk selama 6 tahun, lumayan berhasil. Banyak sekali laten conflicted antagonism material yg dia kumpulkan dan tulis dengan terang. Saya berharap yg laten itu tidak usah muncul kembali, terkubur seperti terkuburnya buku ini. Ajeg Bali sebaiknya jangan menjadi alasan warga Bali dan tokoh-tokoh politik Bali untuk menutup Bali dari dunia luar dan menggali dari kubur materi-materi konflik yg laten tersebut. Supaya Bali tidak seperti Jerman menjelang rezim Third Reich naik kuasa.
June 20, 2016
My cover design work.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews