Indonesia: Law and Society

…It is a complex and sensitive relationship borne of the differences in history, demographics, political, legal and cultural background. This book is useful as a bridge for academics, government officials and students of both countries. It is considered to be the most authoritative modern text in the English language on Indonesian law and society today. – Australian International Law Journal, p304

This book contains a series of essays on indonesian society and its law… the various essays sketch the essential basics of major pockets of legal issues … at the end of each chapter is a fairly comprehensive bibliography to enable readers to follow up each subject. … This is an extremely interesting book for those who require some detailed knowledge of Indonesia and it Indonesian legal system. – (2009) 83 ALJ 774

This volume is not limited to discussions of courts and corruption. It is far richer. It is a work of very broad scope, inclduing discussions ranging from intellectual property law to labour law, to forestry law, to the uncertain laws relating to extra-martial sex in modern Indonesia.

This is an eye-opening work and is easy to recommend. – Andrew Field, Law institute Journal of Victoria, Jan/Feb 2009

There is still no comparable, English language text in existence. – Law Society Journal of NSW, July 2008

Indonesia Law and Society has two stated aims (at page xi): ‘to introduce Indonesia’s complex and unusual legal system to thos unfamiliar with it …[and]… to provide the more knowledgeable reader with a series of specialist essays on a broad range of importnat contemporary issues in Indonesian law’. The book succeeds in fulfilling these aims.

Contributors to the project comprise an impresive cohort of scholars and practitioners…[they] provide the global understanding of black letter law legal systems and the trading and cultural environment necessary to gain an insight into the mosaic that is Indonesia’s legal and associated life. – Louise Floyd, Hearsay, Issue 31: November 2008, The Journal of the Bar Association of Queensland

Reviews of the 1st editionThe essays in Parts I and II range from history of law, especially under the Republic, through the problems of land reform, to the relationship between the state and the shari’a. Part III deals with sexuality, marriage and the law, giving due attention to New Order violence against women. Parts IV, V and VII elaborate on the legal culture of the late-Sukarno and Soeharto regimes. They deal with questions concerning the rule of law and politics, the relationship between judges, lawyers and the state, and the problem of human rights. Many of these essays analyse the lofty ideals of the rule of law and the integralistic, familistic state, and their degeneration in practice in independent Indonesia … Personally, I like these discussions. … Many authors point to the timeliness of, the social demand for, and the benefits of the rule of law. Especially in this era of globalization, commercial regulation has become a necessity: this is the subject of Part VI. How it will all develop in Indonesia is unpredictable for now. The collection of essays does, however, offer a high-quality inventorization of law, and of law and society up to the beginning of the Habibie presidency. As such it constitutes a very useful baseline for clearing up the mess and proceeding with legal reform. – Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Vol 157.1, 2002

The book contains wide-ranging and incisive writings covering the grounds of Indonesian society from various angles: legal, sociological, cultural and political. The fact that Ariel Budiman, a well-known critic of the authorities, gave his imprimateur in the foreword, lends assurances to the would-be reader that the content of the book is insightful and not shying away from showing the cracks and faultlines of the landscape. The book gives the reader an encompassing picture where the complex and colourful fabric of Indonesian society is highlighted. … The book comes with a comprehensive glossary of terminology, acronyms and abbreviations used in all its 27 chapters as well as a table of statutes and an extensive index. References and footnotes point in the right directions, readers who seek deeper knowledge into any specific field. Lindsey deserves congratulations for his efforts in gathering essays of such high quality into this volume. – Jakarta Post