Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals of the Twentieth Century

"This book is an informative overview of the development of Indonesian politics throughout the 20th century which highlights the struggle and competition between nationalist, Islamic and communist ideas before independence and also for a brief period after independence. The struggle and competition between these three groups changed, during the Soeharto period, into a clash between democratic and non-democratic principles. Federspiel has done an excellent job in his discussion of the role of Indonesian Muslim intellectuals during the 20th century. He has also been successful in his exploration of Indonesian politics in that century. His book serves as a useful background for the actual intellectual and political developments in Indonesia. Although less than 100 pages, this book is worth reading" (The Muslim World Book Review).

This study examines the Indonesian Muslim intellectuals of the twentieth century and their approaches in dealing with the problems that faced Indonesian Muslims at that time. Like their intellectual ancestors in Islamic history, these recent Indonesian intellectuals carefully examined the society in which they lived. On one level they studied the original and historical teachings of Islam and attempted to fit that message to the Southeast Asian region. On another level they reacted to the great waves of culture that arrived from Europe, North America, and Asia throughout the twentieth century. They did all of this at a time when the Indonesian nation was forming itself, beginning with the nationalist movements of the early part of the century when the Dutch controlled the archipelago, and continuing into the last half of the century when Indonesia was an independent nation.