Exposed - (Cornell Modern Indonesia Project) by Geoffrey Robinson & Douglas Kammen (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book tells the story of the orchestrated mass violence of 1965-67 in Indonesia and the destruction of the Indonesian Left which was its purpose. Combining rare and iconic images with brief commentaries, it is the first-ever visual history of these important, but long-obscured, events"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Exposed tells the story of the orchestrated mass violence of 1965-1968 in Indonesia and its aftermath. By highlighting visual imagery, Geoffrey Robinson and Douglas Kammen fill a void in existing accounts, challenge distorted official narratives, and establish a basis on which new social memories and interpretations might be formed.

Following an alleged coup attempt on October 1, 1965, at least half a million members of the legal Communist Party of Indonesia and other leftist organizations were killed and another million or so were detained and held for long periods without charge or trial. The consequences of these events were far-reaching and marked a crucial turning point in the Cold War. In less than a year, the largest non-governing Communist party in the world was crushed, and the country's popular left-nationalist President Sukarno was swept aside, signaling the start of more than three decades of military-backed authoritarian rule. Exposed is the first-ever visual history of these important, but long-obscured, events.

Review Quotes

Together, these photographs, accompanied by brief texts, seek to construct a narrative far different from the official one, and more powerful than that written to date by historians and popularizers.

-- "Red Archipelago"

About the Author

Geoffrey Robinson is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on the history of political violence, genocide, and human rights, especially in Southeast Asia.

Douglas Kammen is Associate Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on the history and politics of Indonesia and Timor-Leste.