A History of Islam in Indonesia: Unity in Diversity

Research output: Book/ReportBookpeer-review

Abstract

Located on the eastern periphery of the historical Muslim world, as a political entity Indonesia is barely a century old. Yet with close to a quarter of a billion followers of Islam it is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world. As the greatest political power in Southeast Asia, and a growing player on the world scene, Indonesia presents itself as a bridge country between Asia, the wider Muslim world and the West.
In this survey Carool Kersten presents the Islamisation of Indonesia from the first evidence of the acceptance of Islam by indigenous peoples in the late thirteenth century until the present day. He provides comprehensive insight into the different roles played by Islam in Indonesia throughout history, including the importance of Indian Ocean networks for connecting Indonesians with the wider Islamic world, the religion’s role as a means of resistance and tool for nation building, and postcolonial attempts to forge an ‘Indonesian Islam’.

Key Features

The first comprehensive historical survey of the Islamisation of Indonesia from the arrival of Islam in the 13th century until the present
An interdisciplinary study of the place and role of Islam in Indonesia
An overview of the religion’s growing significance in the formation of what is now the largest and most populous Muslim country in the world
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationEdinburgh
PublisherEdinburgh University Press
Number of pages199
ISBN (Print)978074868184
Publication statusPublished - 17 Jan 2017

Publication series

NameThe New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys Series
PublisherEdinburgh University Press

Keywords

  • Islam
  • Indonesia
  • History

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