Democracy and Islam in Indonesia (Religion, Culture and Public Life): 13 - Softcover

Künkler, Mirjam; Stepan, Alfred

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0231161913 ISBN 13: 9780231161916

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Indonesia's military government collapsed in 1998, igniting fears that economic, religious, and political conflicts would complicate any democratic transition. Yet in every year since 2006, the world's most populous Muslim country has received high marks from international democracy-ranking organizations. In this volume, political scientists, religious scholars, legal theorists, and anthropologists examine the theory and practice of Indonesia's democratic transition and its ability to serve as a model for other Muslim countries. They compare the Indonesian example with similar scenarios in Chile, Spain, India, and Tunisia, as well as with the failed transitions of Yugoslavia, Egypt, and Iran. Essays explore the relationship between religion and politics and the ways in which Muslims became supportive of democracy even before change occurred, and they describe how innovative policies prevented dissident military groups, violent religious activists, and secessionists from disrupting Indonesia's democratic evolution. The collection concludes with a discussion of Indonesia's emerging "legal pluralism" and of which of its forms are rights-eroding and rights-protecting.

About this title

About the Author

Mirjam Kunkler is assistant professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. Alfred Stepan is the Wallace Sayre Professor of Government at Columbia University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0231161913
• ISBN 13: 9780231161916
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272