The premise of Social Science and Power in Indonesia is that the role and development of social sciences in Indonesia over the past fifty years are inextricably related to the shifting requirements of power. What is researched and what is not, which frameworks achieve paradigmatic status while others are marginalized, and which kinds of social scientists become influential while others are ignored are all matters of power. These and other important themes and issues are critically explored by some of Indonesia's foremost social scientists in this seminal work.
The human aspect plays an important role in the social sciences. The behavior of people has become a vital area of focus in the social sciences as well. Interdisciplinary Behavior and Social Sciences contains papers that were originally presented at the 3rd International Congress on Interdisciplinary Behavior and Social Science 2014 (ICIBSoS 2014),
In 1949, the newly-independent Indonesia inherited a health system that was devastated by three-and-a-half years of Japanese occupation and four years of revolutionary struggle against the Dutch. Additionally, the country had to cope with the resurgence of epidemic and endemic diseases. The Ministry of Health had initiated a number of symbolic public health initiatives – both during the Indonesian Revolution (1945 to 1949) and the early 1950s – resulting in a noticeable decline of mortality. These initiatives fuelled the newly-independent nation’s confidence because they demonstrated to the international community that Indonesia was capable of standing on its own feet. Unfortunately, by the mid-1950s, Indonesia’s public health program faltered due to a constellation of factors attributed to the political tensions between Java and the Outer Islands, administrative problems, corruption, and rampant inflation. The optimism that characterised the early years of independence gave way to despair. The Soekarno era could, therefore, be interpreted as the era of bold plans but unfulfilled aspirations in Indonesian public health. Based on extensive archival research and a close reading of Indonesian primary sources, this book provides a nuanced account of the inner tensions in Indonesian public health during the twentieth century – between a narrow biomedical approach that emphasised disease eradication, and a holistic approach that linked public health to practical concerns of nation-building.
"There are not many books on ethics that are currently available, especially in Indonesia. This book comes to fill that gap. A commendable book that researchers should read, especially when there is more and more research on human behavior. It is a stupendous work." M. Chatib Basri, Executive Director, IBER Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia 2013-2014 “This book addresses an important set of issues in the context of Indonesia, a large developing country in Southeast Asia. Most work on research ethics has originated in the developed world; the strength of this book is that it relates the large international literature to the specific problems which Indonesian researchers are likely to face, especially in the social sciences. It deserves a wide readership both in Indonesia and in other parts of the world.” Anne Booth, Professor Emeritus, SOAS, University of London "In a world full of fake news, corrupt bureaucracies, and inequitable judgements it is vital that the training of rising generations of social scientists contains thorough grounding in ethics. This volume should be required reading in all teaching programs, and a valuable addition on the desk of all graduates wishing to pursue a career in the social research professions.” Terence H. Hull, Emeritus Professor of Demography, The Australian National University “Reading this book is an eye-opening experience. Mayling Oey Gardiner presents novelty by discussing ethics in social science research on current issues such as big data, internet-based research, and environmental research. This book can guide academics and decision-makers to define boundaries and consider the impact of social research.” Rhenald Kasali Ph.D, Founder Rumah Perubahan Professor of Management, University of Indonesia
The European social sciences tend to absorb criticism that has been passed on the European approach and re-label it as a part of what the critique opposes; criticism of European social sciences by “subaltern” social sciences, their “talking back”, has become a frequent line of reflection in European social sciences. The re-labelling of the critique of the European approach to social sciences towards a critique from “Southern” social sciences of “Western” social sciences has somehow turned “Southern” as well as “Western” social sciences into competing contributors to the same “globalizing” social sciences. Both are no longer arguing about the European approach to social sciences but about which social thought from which part of the globe prevails. If the critique becomes a part of what it opposes, one might conclude that the European social sciences are very adaptable and capable of learning. One might, however, also raise the question whether there is anything wrong with the criticism of the European social sciences; or, for that matter, whether there is anything wrong with the European social sciences themselves. The contributions in this book discuss these questions from different angles: They revisit the mainstream critique of the European social sciences, and they suggest new arguments criticizing social science theories that may be found as often in the “Western” as in the “Southern” discourse.
Globalisation is more complex than ever. The effects of the global financial crisis and increased inequality have spurred anti-globalisation sentiment in many countries and encouraged the adoption of populist and inward-looking policies. This has led to some surprising results: Duterte, Brexit and Trump, to name a few. In Indonesia, the disappointment with globalisation has led to rising protectionism, a rejection of foreign interference in the name of nationalism, and economic policies dominated by calls for self-sufficiency. Meanwhile, human trafficking and the abuse of migrant workers show the dark side of globalisation. In this volume, leading experts explore key issues around globalisation, nationalism and sovereignty in Indonesia. Topics include the history of Indonesia’s engagement with the world, Indonesia’s stance on the South China Sea and the re-emergence of nationalism. The book also examines the impact of globalisation on poverty and inequality, labour markets and people, especially women.
The 30th volume of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion consists of two special sections, as well as two separate empirical studies on attachment and daily spiritual practices. The first special section deals with the social scientific study of religion in Indonesia. Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country whose history and contemporary involvement in the study of religion is explored from both sociological and psychological perspectives. The second special section is on the Pope Francis effect: the challenges of modernization in the Catholic church and the global impact of Pope Francis. While its focus is mainly on the Catholic religion, the internal dynamics and geopolitics explored apply more broadly.
