Overview

The history of the Indonesian Revolution has been dominated by depictions of grassroots fighters and elite politicians who thought of it as a nationalistic or class-based war. In this major new study, Kevin W. Fogg rethinks the Indonesian Revolution (1945–49) as an Islamic struggle, in which pious Muslims, who made up almost half the population, fought and organized in religious ways. Muslims fighting on the ground were convinced by their leaders' proclamations that they were fighting for a holy cause. In the political sphere, however, national leaders failed to write Islam into Indonesia's founding documents - but did create revolutionary precedents that continue to impact the country to this day. This study of a war of decolonization in the world's most populous Muslim country points to the ways in which Islam has functioned as a revolutionary ideology in the modern era.

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9781108738170

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Reviews

'Indonesia's Islamic Revolution offers a fine analysis of the distinct place of the Muslim elites and grassroot activists in the Indonesia's revolution - an alternative to the conventional secular and leftist narratives, and not only sheds a fresh light on how and why religious aspiration hardly dies in contemporary Indonesian politics but also significantly contributes to a comparative study of religion and revolution in the modern societies.' Muhamad Ali, University of California, Riverside 'Bringing his subject alive with beautifully illuminating vignettes and acute observations, Kevin W. Fogg presents a powerful new interpretation of Indonesia's revolution that is also a pleasure to read. Indonesia's Islamic Revolution is a major work of social and political history that casts new light on the Islamic origins of modern Indonesia.' Edward Aspinall, Australian National University 'Indonesia's Islamic Revolution is a good place to start, with an interesting bibliography that combines Western and Indonesian publications, and a narrative made more intriguing by excerpts from oral interviews.' Chiara Formichi, South East Asia Research

'Indonesia's Islamic Revolution offers a fine analysis of the distinct place of the Muslim elites and grassroot activists in the Indonesia's revolution - an alternative to the conventional secular and leftist narratives, and not only sheds a fresh light on how and why religious aspiration hardly dies in contemporary Indonesian politics but also significantly contributes to a comparative study of religion and revolution in the modern societies.' Muhamad Ali, University of California, Riverside 'Bringing his subject alive with beautifully illuminating vignettes and acute observations, Kevin W. Fogg presents a powerful new interpretation of Indonesia's revolution that is also a pleasure to read. Indonesia's Islamic Revolution is a major work of social and political history that casts new light on the Islamic origins of modern Indonesia.' Edward Aspinall, Australian National University 'Indonesia's Islamic Revolution is a good place to start, with an interesting bibliography that combines Western and Indonesian publications, and a narrative made more intriguing by excerpts from oral interviews.' Chiara Formichi, South East Asia Research '… this book makes a noteworthy contribution to the social and political history of the globe's most populated Muslim nation … [the book] represents a major achievement that deserves to be read for many years to come …' Joshua Gedacht, Contributions to Linguistics, Geography and Ethnology

Author Information

Kevin W. Fogg is a research associate at the Oxford Centre for Global History and Brasenose College, University of Oxford.

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