Intellectuals and Nationalism in Indonesia: A Study of the Following Recruited by Sutan Sjahrir in Occupation Jakarta (Cornell Modern Indonesia Project)

Sutan Sjahrir, a man who would eventually become the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, was first involved in the nationalist movement as the leader of a group of youth from Jakarta during the Japanese Occupation. His intent was to prepare for the future struggle for independence. Legge's study is a reassessment both of the part played by the PSI (and specifically that part of it led by Sjahrir and comprised of intellectuals) in the Republic's formation and of the role played by intellectuals in transitional societies. In one particularly vivid section, the author presents and analyzes interviews with surviving members of the organization. Such a focus may be inherently biased, but Legge is concerned with historiography as well: the differences in methods of interpretation and analysis and in ideological preferences, which affect what is observed and how facts and evidence are relayed. 1988. 159 pages.