2 results
7 - Building Nation and Society in the 1920s Dutch East Indies
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- By Leena Avonius, University of Leiden
- Edited by Hagen Schulz-Forberg, University of Aarhus
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- Book:
- A Global Conceptual History of Asia, 1860–1940
- Published by:
- Pickering & Chatto
- Published online:
- 05 December 2014, pp 129-148
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- Chapter
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Summary
The Indonesian language that developed in the Dutch East Indies in the 1920s was a language of revolution, reflecting the ways in which young Indonesian nationalists conceptualized their society. A key tool in developing the language for these nationalists was the emerging Indonesian print media. The 1920s public discourse in the Dutch East Indies had at least three important characteristics. First, in its anti-colonialism it tended to play down internal disputes and differences among the native population. Second, there was a strong focus on economic matters. This was partly a consequence of the strong economic orientation of Dutch colonialism, but it also reflected the worsening economic situation of the East Indies at the time. The focus on the economy was also due to strong Marxist influences within the Indonesian nationalist movement. And finally, the 1920s public discourse of the East Indies and the developing Indonesian language was replete with loan words and foreign concepts that were adopted through the Indonesian activists' frequent global connections. The Indonesian form of the Malay language, in 1928 formally renamed Bahasa Indonesia, borrowed concepts not only from Europe, but also from the Middle East and other Asian regions. These regions often functioned as reference points of ‘progressive comparison’ in visualizing the future independent Indonesia. Global events such as the Russian and Chinese revolutions or the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate, as well as the experiences and thoughts of individual intellectuals, were important for imagining a future society.
11 - Justice and the Aceh Peace Process
- from Part II - Conflict Resolution
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- By Leena Avonius, Leiden University
- Edited by Patrick Daly, R. Michael Feener, Anthony J. S. Reid
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- Book:
- From the Ground Up
- Published by:
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Published online:
- 21 October 2015
- Print publication:
- 06 February 2012, pp 225-241
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Summary
Justice is a tricky word. Everybody makes claims for it and in its name, but very few would be able to explain exactly what it means. This is not because of ignorance, but rather due to the wide scope the term is assumed to cover, and the ambiguities attached to it in its everyday use. Justice — or keadilan in Indonesian — is one of the most common terms used when discussing post-conflict processes in Aceh. The absence of justice or the failings of the justice system are seen as major problems in post-conflict reconstruction — and these are addressed through programmes aiming to improve people's access to justice in Aceh. Justice is the key word for local civil society groups that seek to improve its realization and, now and then, to bring their own forms of justice to people in the villages. And justice is what is at stake when the victims of conflict lament that, despite all of the good promises, none of the terrible wrongs they experienced during the conflict have been made right. They are still waiting for justice.
In this chapter, I discuss the question of justice in Aceh's post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building. I argue that to maintain sustainable peace in the territory, it is important to have the widest possible consensus on what is understood by “justice” in post-conflict Aceh. So far, much of the justice talk in the Aceh peace process has been limited to transitional justice issues. Post-conflict reconciliation takes place in relation to institutionalized forms of justice such as human rights courts and truth and reconciliation commissions that seek to provide justice and reconciliation between victims and perpetrators. However, the process of peace-building and reconstruction must also be sensitive to Acehnese views on how a just society should be constructed. This includes talk about social justice, the rights and obligations of members of a society towards each other, as well as the relations between the state and its citizens.