You can read all my new articles on my new substack site: https://maxlaneonline.substack.com/ This site remains the best archive site for older artciles.
“Power and Opposition Under Prabowo’s Political Cartel” by Max Lane
After months of speculation about what a Prabowo government would be like following the ten years of the Widodo presidency, speculation is starting to subside, and policies are becoming clearer Read here: https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/iseas-perspective/2025-38-power-and-opposition-under-prabowos-political-cartel-by-max-lane/
ARTICLE: Art and The Continuing Erosion of a Political Taboo: Sculpture and Activism in Indonesia’s National Gallery by Max Lane
Art has power to inspire activism and challenge political taboos. In Indonesia, a recent exhibition highlighted this dynamic. Read more HERE
Literature, Labor Movements and Nationalism in Indonesia
Talks by Max Lane and responses at the University of The Philippines, March 2023. Full transcript downloadable. 1. Indonesia Out of Exile: Pramoedya Ananta Toer and the Politics of Unfinished Ferment 2. Class, Nation, and Social Revolution in Indonesia and the Philippines 3. The Indonesian Labor Movement 57 Class, Nation, and the Forgetting of Development […]
“The Twin Axis in Indonesian Politics: Elite Personal Ambition and the Alienation of Civil Society” by Max Lane
“A 20-year process of consolidation of a homogeneous political outlook among the parties controlling the Indonesian electoral scene has facilitated a political life that is dominated by personal rivalry and ambitions, and which has opened the way for dynasty building.” “Meanwhile, the quandary for civil society – whether to build towards an outright opposition to […]
COMMENTARY by MAX LANE: INDONESIA – OUT OF THE “ELEKTABILITAS” MIRE COMES THE PUSH FOR DYNASTIC POWER
The lack of real political difference among the various contenders for the top political job in Indonesia has paved the way for the culture of political dynasties to strengthen. Will this culture win out? The votes will tell. “However, elektabilitas calculations are prevailing. Gibran/Prabowo might calculate that they might lose the middle-class liberal vote but still be […]
“Polarisations in Indonesia: Distinguishing the Real from the Rhetorical” by Max Lane
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For full article click HERE
Pramoedya Ananta Toer – An Indonesian Literary Icon by JOSE RAMOS HORTA
“It was in Buru that Pramoedya created “the Quartet”. Initially forbidden access to writing materials, Pramoedya recited the stories; vivid tales of the creation of Indonesia, a time of national awakening and rebellion against the colonial rulers, orally to other prisoners. When Pramoedya and two of his fellow prisoners, Joesoef Isak and Hasyim Rachman, were […]
How a political prisoner’s novels gave Indonesia a sense of history by Chris Barrett
“Regardless of Pramoedya’s political views, however, Lane argues he provided Indonesians with a long-lost link to their past, one that is fundamental in reckoning with the future of a still young nation. His highly accessible insider’s account also offers readers in Australia greater understanding of Indonesia’s journey and that can only be positive.” For full […]
Widodo Government Acknowledges Gross Human Rights Violations Happened: The Unstoppable Erosion of a Fundamental Taboo by Max Lane
“Spokespersons for the Widodo government since 2014 have regularly stated that they are seeking a “completion” (penyelesaian) of this issue, implying that once there is “resolution”, there will correspondingly be no further need for public debate. It is probable that, with about a year to go in Widodo’s second and final term as president, he […]
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