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Asiatic Variations

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The Social Evolution of Indonesia

Part of the book series: Studies in Social History ((SISH,volume 5))

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Abstract

During its expansionist phase, Western capitalism imposed itself on the Asiatic structures which have been outlined in the previous chapter, gradually transforming them into part of the dependent ‘Third World’. This had a dual and internally contradictory result: (1) weaknesses were exploited and societal problems consolidated, and (2) traditional relationships were broken and socio-economic conflicts strengthened, with potentially explosive effects. The development of these dialectic ‘moments’ largely depended (and still depend) on the nature and developmental level of the society in question, and also on the specific character and expansion of the dominating metropolis. Strongly divergent variations occurred within the shere of the ‘Asiatic’ mode of production all of which were differently affected by the respective metropolis. In this chapter we shall examine a few Asiatic cases and a non-Asiatic one in order to clarify essential similarities and contrasts that are discernible in Asia, Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

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Notes

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Authors
  1. Fritjof Tichelman
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© 1980 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers bv, The Hague

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Tichelman, F. (1980). Asiatic Variations. In: The Social Evolution of Indonesia. Studies in Social History, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8896-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-8896-5_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-009-8898-9

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