ANU experts share their impressions and predictions about Indonesia's election
Indonesian Islamists’ pragmatic pivot in 2024
Hardliners are adapting to electoral realities—and state restraints—in mobilising for Anies Baswedan.
From polarisation to opportunism: organised Islam and the 2024 elections
Personal and patronage ties are once again at the fore.
Reversing reformasi
The narrowing field of political contestation in Indonesia is not just being driven by presidential machinations and ruling-coalition infighting—but also the inescapable contradictions of Indonesia’s middle income status
Indonesian queer histories as solace and resistance
A colonial record’s hint at a forbidden lesbian relationship is a reminder of the potential for historical research to uncover queer life in Indonesia’s past and present
Chinese financing dovetails with Indonesian developmentalism
China’s modes of foreign economic cooperation are tailor-made for the Jokowi-era political economy
Rohingya refugees facing a hostile reception in Aceh
Boat arrivals cause frictions in coastal communities amid signs of a policy shift towards deterrence
Jokowi consolidates influence over TNI as elections loom
Personal connections to the president dating back to his mayorship of Solo have proven a career asset to senior military officers.
The land moves west
Artists at the Makassar Biennale grapple with the social and environmental consequences of land reclamation.
Jokowi’s post-election game plan
The president has put all his chips on Prabowo in the hopes of securing influence beyond 2024. Will it work?
The plastipelago
Indonesia’s encounter with the “plasticene” has led to a naïve and hasty government effort to rebrand waste as an asset.
NU factionalism on show after Anies-Muhaimin surprise
The realities of intra-NU politics defy Muhaimin Iskandar’s claim of bringing NU communities in behind Anies Baswedan.
Purnawirawan politics in Indonesia’s 2024 elections
Retired police and military officers find easy paths into politics thanks to parties' perceptions of them as vote magnets.
Carl Josef Kleingrothe: capturing the colonial life of Deli, Sumatra
A look at the life of the photographer whose work captivated European audiences' looking for images of the 'exotic' Indies.
How Indonesian studies’ “brand needy” lets Australian students down
There is a strong case for supporting the study of Indonesian history and cultures in Australian universities.
Captain, striker, and the integralist state
Prabowo’s analogy likening the nation to a football team puts a new spin on old arguments that there’s no place for opposition in Indonesian politics.
Coal, recentralisation and Jambi’s traffic hell
Jakarta’s recovery of legal powers over mining have robbed local politicians of the ability to respond to public demands to address the sector’s social costs.
The political prospects of Jokowi’s sons
Central Java offers a good base for a Widodo dynasty, but tensions with PDI-P are a hurdle.
Selective moderation: Indonesia–UAE religious diplomacy
Pragmatic political interests lie behind the promotion of ‘moderate’ Islam in both countries.
Power, illegality and impunity in Indonesia’s plantation zone
Palm oil companies can act with impunity because of corporate–state collusion and a lack of organised resistance.
The rise of performance politics in Indonesia?
What does it mean for Indonesia’s political development when elites and voters view democracy in instrumental terms?