All About Indonesia takes kids on an exciting adventure through one of the world's largest and most culturally diverse nations. This Indonesian children's book is perfect for educators and parents wishing to teach kids about this rapidly growing Asian country. Along the way, young readers will learn about Indonesian culture, history, food, language, and the natural beauty of this fascinating country. From popular sports to traditional dances, everyday dress to cuisine and school activities, this book provides glimpses of the daily life and culture of this exotic and rapidly growing region of Southeast Asia. Through Indonesian stories, songs, crafts, games, and recipes kids will: Learn basic vocabulary from the national language, Bahasa Indonesia Learn how to make a traditional mask that is worn during special ceremonial dances Learn how to create beautiful batik cloths and other crafts for kids Experience the difference between big city life in Jakarta versus village living Explore the beaches and volcanoes in places such as Bali and Sumatra Learn how to bake sweet cake made with coconut, and more delicious recipes! A timeless Indonesian book for kids and parents to treasure together, All About Indonesia offers not only the most essential facts about this unique country but also conveys the unique spirit that makes it one-of-a-kind. With downloadable crafts and recipes, this multicultural journey will provide fun for both children and adults!

"A spectacular achievement and one of the very best travel books I have read." —Simon Winchester, Wall Street Journal Declaring independence in 1945, Indonesia said it would "work out the details of the transfer of power etc. as soon as possible." With over 300 ethnic groups spread across over 13,500 islands, the world’s fourth most populous nation has been working on that "etc." ever since. Author Elizabeth Pisani traveled 26,000 miles in search of the links that bind this disparate nation.

All About Thailand is a new Thai book for kids ages 8 to 12 which brings you on an incredible journey to exotic Thailand. Thailand is a place where a modern culture thrives in one of the world's most ancient countries. Your guides in this adventure are two Thai children: Mali is a 9-year-old girl from the countryside and Tawan is an 11-year old boy from Bangkok. Travel with them as they explore their land--experienced its fascinating wildlife, beautiful handcrafts, sports, games, celebrations and, of course--great Thai food! They'll give you a glimpse of what it's really like to live in Thailand and they'll show you all the things that kids in Thailand love to do. With this Thai culture and history-for-kids book readers will: Visit with elephants and monkeys Learn new fun and challenging games Share Thai myth, fairy tales and fables Get a taste of the Thai language and learn a song or two Make things that let you experience Thailand's beliefs, celebrations and culture Experience the unique flavors of Thailand with a few easy, yummy recipes And lots more! Along with fun facts, you'll learn about the spirit of the Thailand that makes this country and its people totally unique. This is a book for parents and kids to enjoy together!

For the last five decades, the Dani of the central highlands of West Papua, along with other Papuans, have struggled with the oppressive conditions of Indonesian rule. Formal education holds the promise of escape from stigmatization and violence. Dreams Made Small offers an in-depth, ethnographic look at journeys of education among young Dani men and women, asking us to think differently about education as a trajectory for transformation and belonging, and ultimately revealing how dreams of equality are shaped and reshaped in the face of multiple constraints.

Indonesia was founded on the ideal of the “Sovereignty of the People”, which suggests the pre-eminence of people’s rights to access, use and control land to support their livelihoods. Yet, many questions remain unresolved. How can the state ensure access to land for agriculture and housing while also supporting land acquisition for investment in industry and infrastructure? What is to be done about indigenous rights? Do registration and titling provide solutions? Is the land reform agenda — legislated but never implemented — still relevant? How should the land questions affecting Indonesia’s disappearing forests be resolved? The contributors to this volume assess progress on these issues through case studies from across the archipelago: from large-scale land acquisitions in Papua, to asset ownership in the villages of Sulawesi and Java, to tenure conflicts associated with the oil palm and mining booms in Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumatra. What are the prospects for the “people’s sovereignty” in regard to land?

Indonesia is the home of the largest single Muslim community of the world. Its Christian community, about 10% of the population, has until now received no overall description in English. Through cooperation of 26 Indonesian and European scholars, Protestants and Catholics, a broad and balanced picture is given of its 24 million Christians. This book sketches the growth of Christianity during the Portuguese period (1511-1605), it presents a fair account of developments under the Dutch colonial administration (1605-1942) and is more elaborate for the period of the Indonesian Republic (since 1945). It emphasizes the regional differences in this huge country, because most Christians live outside the main island of Java. Muslim-Christian relations, as well as the tensions between foreign missionaries and local theology, receive special attention.

Based on the award-winning PBS documentary series, Ring of Fire is this first-person account of the adventures of two English brothers as they explore the astonishingly rich cultures of the Indonesian archipelago. Their fascinating odyssey began in 1972 with a 2,500-mile voyage through the fabled Spice Islands, in search of the Greater Bird of Paradise. A decade of further exploration followed, during which the brothers lived among the Asmat cannibals of Papua and the healers of Bali, came face-to-face with the man-eating dragons of Komodo, and encountered the elusive dream wanderers of Borneo. Amid impenetrable rain forests, erupting volcanoes and startling natural beauty, the brothers have captured on film and in words the story of one of the most captivating and intriguing explorations ever made.

For decades, Indonesia's 1945 Constitution, the second shortest in the modern world, was used as an apologia by successive authoritarian regimes. A bare-bones text originally intended as a temporary measure, it did little beyond establish basic state organs, including a powerful presidency. It did not offer citizens real guarantees or protections. These weaknesses were ruthlessly exploited by the military-backed regime that President Soeharto headed from 1966 until his fall in 1998. The (first ever) amendments to the Constitution, which began the following year and were completed in 2002, changed all this. Enlarging and rethinking the Constitution, they ushered in a liberal democratic system based around human rights, an open society and separation of powers. These reforms also created a Constitutional Court that has provided Indonesia's first judicial forum for serious debate on the interpretation and application of the Constitution, as well as its first significant and easily-accessible body of detailed and reasoned judgments. Today, Indonesian constitutional law is rich, sophisticated and complex. This book surveys this remarkable constitutional transition, assessing the implementation of Indonesia's new constitutional model and identifying its weaknesses. After covering key institutions exercising executive, legislative and judicial powers, the book focuses on current constitutional debates, ranging from human rights to decentralisation, religious freedom and control of the economy.

In this edition, Merle Ricklefs poses the question of how diverse but related linguistic and ethnic communities came to form the unitary Republic of Indonesia, and sheds important light on the crises and challenges facing this vast nation.