1. Post-colonial Discourse on the State in Indonesia and Malaysia -- 2. Theories of Democratic and Authoritarian State Formation -- 3. Economy and Society in the Pre-independence Malay-Indonesian World: An Overview -- 4. Peasant and Labour Opposition to the Colonial and Post-colonial State -- 5. Nationalism and the Struggle for Democracy -- 6. From Democracy to Authoritarianism: Tendencies and Transformations -- 7. Historical Analysis and the Future of Democracy
Summary
The fact that the Malaysian state has managed to maintain a relatively democratic regime, while an authoritarian regime came to power in Indonesia has never been the focus of historical and comparative analysis despite certain cultural, social, and historical affinities between these two countries. This study looks at how the interplay of three factors, that is, elite cohesion, internal state strength and armed resistance, led to two different outcomes: authoritarian and democratic post-colonial states in Indonesia and Malaysia respectively. The historical background is presented to assess the impact of colonialism on pre-capitalist society in these two colonies. This provides the context in which to understand the development of the Indonesian and Malaysian states in terms of differences in the degree of elite cohesion, state strength, and the nature of urban and rural resistance against the state. In this way two different paths to state forms can be mapped
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 200-221) and index
