Peter Post, William H. Frederick, Iris Heidebrink, and Shigeru Sato, eds. The Encyclopedia of Indonesia in the Pacific War: In Cooperation with the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation . Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2010, xxix+684 p.

Abstract

The Encyclopedia of Indonesia in Pacific War: In Cooperation with Institute for War Documentation PETER POST, WILLIAM H. FREDERICK, IRIS HEIDEBRINK, and SHIGERU SATO, eds. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, 2010, xxix+684 p.The twentieth century has been characterized as century of wars. It experienced two world wars, many regional wars in context of Cold War, and various kinds of internal wars. These wars produced many casualties, both military and civilian. In return, many nation-states that two great wars brought into being have made it habit to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives for their countries. By end of century, remembering has become common exercise for national governments and civic duty for citizens. In this context, intensive efforts at recollection, collective reflection and redress in relation to these wars have materialized in academia as well as public sectors. In addition, international and intergovernmental cooperation has produced new memories, understandings, and interpretations of wars. As such, boom has taken place in many parts of globe (Winter 2006, 1).Two reasons deserve to be mentioned regarding this trend from global perspective. First, as those who experienced war age, they are eager to archive their memories for future generations. In Netherlands, many memorials and statues bearing names of those who fell in war have been established by local communities. Second, many developing countries that were also former European or American colonies have been democratized in process of the Third Wave (Huntington 1991). For these countries, democratization has been process of confronting colonial and authoritarian legacies through historical fact-finding efforts that are concerned with addressing human rights violations that occurred under authoritarian regimes (De Brito et al. 2001). Thus, politics of memory sheds light on those who suffered as well as oppressed. This process has made possible, for instance, international cooperation between former colony (Indonesia) and its erstwhile suzerain power (The Netherlands) to present truth about what happened during war period.Under these changing international and domestic socio-political over years, tremendous international collaborative efforts have borne fruit in form of Encyclopedia of Indonesia in Pacific War. It is timely publication and provides broad understanding of topic. It has 56 contributors from various parts of globe with 684 and xxix pages, plus 24 pages of pictures at end of volume. It has eight major chapters-chapter one general introduction; chapter two historical overview; five middle chapters on matters directly related to Japanese occupation (chapters three to seven), namely, administration and policies, coercion and control, economy, society and social change, and culture; and chapter eight on postwar burdens and memory. The 156-page long Lexicon of People, Events and Institutions addendum to book is especially useful for readers and scholars in need of quick reference. To describe this Encyclopedia as a strong encyclopedia that can help you to get an early, broad understanding of topic (Storey 2008, 5) is indeed accurate.In his introduction Peter Post, one of editors of Encyclopedia, explains purpose of tome. It aims to go beyond myths and misconceptions and treats varied aspects of Japanese occupation period in comparative way, gives factual details of how different groups of people initially reacted towards Japanese military rule and how these groups experienced changes in their living circumstances, and pays attention to legacies of war in three main countries concerned, e.g. Japan, Indonesia, and The Netherlands (p. 2). According to Post, four major advancements in historiography of Japanese period in Indonesia over last two decades have made this Encyclopedia project possible. …