The Javanese realms of Surakarta and Yogyakarta in Central Java were of prime importance in the politics of the Netherlands Indies, located, as they were, at the heart of the Dutch colonial state. This book covers forty years of the history of the Javanese Principalities in the post-Java War period (1830-1870). The first part deals with the delicate political balance that was constructed between each Javanese Kraton and the Dutch colonial state, or Kumpeni (Company), as it was still called by the Javanese. Attention is given not only to Dutch-Javanese relations, but also to the various...

Stereotypes of the Bugis, Makassarese and other peoples of South Sulawesi are widespread and often at variance with each other. The inhabitants are depicted as intrepid seafarers, wily migrants, feudal lords and vassals, democratic lovers of freedom, fanatical Muslims, worshippers of regalia, and performers of arcane ceremonies. Generalizations and stereotypes invite debate. The South Sulawesi debate revolves around several topics: the reliability of colonial reports vis-a-vis indigenous texts; the homogeneity of the area; status and power; leadership and patron-client relationships; foreign...