Jacques Bertrand (1)
Author of Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia (Cambridge Asia-Pacific Studies)
For other authors named Jacques Bertrand, see the disambiguation page.
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Since 1998, which marked the end of the thirty-three-year New Order regime under President Suharto, there has been a dramatic increase in Indonesia conflict and violence in Indonesia. In his innovative and persuasive account, Jacques Bertrand argues that conflicts in Maluku, Kalimantan, Aceh, Papua, and East Timur were a result of the New Order’s narrow and constraining reinterpretation of Indonesia’s ‘national model’. The author shows how, at the end of the 1990s, this national model came under intense pressure at the prospect of institutional transformation, a reconfiguration of conflict relations, and an increase in the role of Islam in Indonesia’s political institutions. It was within the context of these challenges, that the very definition of the Indonesian nation and what it meant to be Indonesian came under scrutiny. The book sheds light on the roots of religious and ethnic Indonesia at a turning point in Indonesia’s history.
Bertrand's central thesis is far-reaching as he argues that Indonesia's failed attempts to reach an inclusive 'national model' have not only caused the so-called 'separatist' conflicts in West Papua, Aceh and East Timor, but also 'conflict' conflict in Sulawesi, Maluku and Kalimantan. Bertrand challenges the view that the separatist and conflict conflicts in Indonesia are substantively different to each other, and instead highlights the links between them. I find this analysis insightful as it does not exclude the state from a role in ethnic conflict, and in fact, locates the state as a central player in defining these Indonesias. He demonstrates how issues of regional autonomy, resource allocation and political representation are meaningful across all Indonesia regions of Indonesia, not only to those conflicts between the state and secessionist groups. I agree with his analysis that the full range of conflicts post-Suharto were all in part rooted in local frustrations following years of centralised bureaucratic control of the revenue from local natural resources, as well as ethnic Javanese dominance of political institutions. Bertrand also successfully argues that the cohesion of the Indonesian state has not been destablised by the conflicts, although the separation of East Timor limited the possibilities of greater independence for Aceh and West Papua, thus deepening those conflicts.… (more)