The Struggle for the National Narrative in Indonesia

Download or read book The Struggle for the National Narrative in Indonesia written by Michael Hatherell and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-09-16 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a unique analysis of how political representatives construct ideas about the nation in contemporary Indonesian politics. In their struggle to define what the authors call the ‘national narrative’, would-be national leaders seek to develop a story about the nation’s past, present and future. These stories feature a unique plot, set of characters, and a moral that the political narrator hopes will resonate. In contemporary Indonesia, the authors assess two prominent national narratives: the technocratic and populist national narratives. The book concludes with an analysis that considers other potential sources of ideas about the nation, as well as the potential implications for domestic politics and Indonesian grand strategy.