Henk Schulte Nordholt
Published: 2007
Total Pages: 124
Get eBook
The book analyzes recent changes in Bali in the field of politics, religion, and identity politics and concentrates on the impact of regional autonomy and democracy. The Indonesian island of Bali depends on the outside world for tourists, capital, and cheap labor, but the island's people feel threatened by external forces (powerful investors, Western decadence, Islam). Schulte Nordholt describes the effects of decentralization and democratization on life and politics on the island, and the efforts of urban intellectuals to maintain and reinforce a Balinese identity. In discussing events over the past decade, the author considers caste and power relations at provincial, district, and village levels, the role of criminal gangs and violent conflict, and the workings of local democracy.