Throughout the long history of scriptural interpretation, authority has almost always sided with the dominant: men, heterosexuals, and those with privileged access to religious and state institutions. The holy text has often been “guarded” by a rigid and almost monolithic framework of … [Read more...]
Review
Majapahit: Intrigue and Legacy in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire
April 21, 2025 by
Herald van der Linde’s Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire offers a gripping retelling of the rise and fall of Indonesia’s Greatest Empire. From its mythic beginnings with brutal anti-hero Ken Arok to its peak under Queen Tribhuwana and King Hayam Wuruk, the book … [Read more...]
Indonesia’s ‘Revolusi’ and the Birth of the Modern World: A Forgotten Epic Reimagined
April 21, 2025 by
In Indonesia, the colonial past has a conspicuously low profile in public consciousness and political debate, but the national revolution—”Revolusi” in Bahasa Indonesia—that threw off colonial rule once and for all nonetheless remains the single most defining moment in the country’s history. … [Read more...]
Life, Laughter, and Lingering Absences in Jokpin’s Perjamuan Khong Guan
April 8, 2025 by
In early 2020, Joko Pinurbo, Indonesia’s much beloved poet, had just released his latest poem collection, Perjamuan Khong Guan. It is divided into four parts (or, cans, in this case), and some numbers may not sound new anymore after their previous appearances in newspapers last year. However, … [Read more...]