Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development

This course examines the politics and political economy of Indonesia, the world's third largest democracy and emerging Asian power. It introduces students to critical historical events and figures of the post-independence period (1945-), then moves on to examine specific topics in the development of contemporary Indonesia—including authoritarianism and democracy, the role of the military in politics, Islamic movements, the environment and natural resource politics, corruption and clientelism, and identity politics. Students will learn different scholarly interpretations and debates about these topics, and will develop the skills to critically analyse and explain contemporary political developments in this important Asian nation.