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Zombie Anti-Communism? Democratization and the Demons of Suharto-Era Politics in Contemporary Indonesia

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The Indonesian Genocide of 1965

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide ((PSHG))

Abstract

Aggressive anti-communism was a key aspect of the narrative rationalizing the bloody genesis of the New Order and a leading element of ideology used to justify on-going repression of dissent as the regime aged. Since 1998 Indonesia has undergone a significant liberalization. Despite these reforms, critical elements of Suharto-era political culture and institutional power remain important in public life. This chapter investigates anti-communism both as a legacy of the Suharto era and a dynamic aspect of current Indonesian politics. Miller discusses a number of recent public manifestations of anti-communism, including incidents during the 2014 presidential election, and issues in social media in 2015. The chapter offers explanations for the robustness of anti-communism and seeks to extend our understanding of the contours of contemporary Indonesian anti-communism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indonesian Studies , Charles Darwin University, Darwin , NT, Australia

    Stephen Miller

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  1. Stephen Miller
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Katharine McGregor

  2. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Jess Melvin

  3. University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

    Annie Pohlman

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Miller, S. (2018). Zombie Anti-Communism? Democratization and the Demons of Suharto-Era Politics in Contemporary Indonesia. In: McGregor, K., Melvin, J., Pohlman, A. (eds) The Indonesian Genocide of 1965. Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71455-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71455-4_15

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

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