The ECCC highlights some hazards of miscommunication and mistranslation in multilingual war crimes proceedings

An end-of-2023 note from the site's editor

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

Does polarisation have a mass base?

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

China’s modes of foreign economic cooperation are tailor-made for the Jokowi-era political economy

Boat arrivals cause frictions in coastal communities amid signs of a policy shift towards deterrence

Personal connections to the president dating back to his mayorship of Solo have proven a career asset to senior military officers.

A system of aged care focused on filial responsibility unduly burdens women. The social protection system needs a bigger role.

Artists at the Makassar Biennale grapple with the social and environmental consequences of land reclamation.

The president has put all his chips on Prabowo in the hopes of securing influence beyond 2024. Will it work?

On the sidelines of Changi Prison lies a fissure in an environment engineered to “invisibilise” Singapore’s social divides.

At a graveyard beside the Indian Ocean lies insight into Australia’s ongoing multicultural history and heritage

Indonesia’s encounter with the “plasticene” has led to a naïve and hasty government effort to rebrand waste as an asset.

The realities of intra-NU politics defy Muhaimin Iskandar’s claim of bringing NU communities in behind Anies Baswedan.

Retired police and military officers find easy paths into politics thanks to parties' perceptions of them as vote magnets.

A look at the life of the photographer whose work captivated European audiences' looking for images of the 'exotic' Indies.

Andrew Selth recalls an era of flourishing artistic expression amid heavy-handed censorship.

A close look at the blocking of Pita’s appointment shows how conservatives are happy to cut legal corners to thwart reformist politics.

There is a strong case for supporting the study of Indonesian history and cultures in Australian universities.

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.

After six decades of federation, it’s time to bring minorities back into the vision of what, and who, the Malaysian national project is about.