Fetish, Recognition, Revolution
Fetish, Recognition, Revolution by James T. Siegel, published by Princeton University Press on March 6, 1997, is a scholarly exploration of the role of language in the Indonesian revolution. This 275-page work delves into the historical context of the revolution from 1945 to 1949, examining how the translation of literature in the late nineteenth century played a crucial role in shaping communication and identity among the peoples of the Dutch East Indies. Siegel, an anthropologist with extensive experience in Indonesia, investigates the concept of the “fetish of modernity,” a linguistic force that influenced the recognition of individuals as modern citizens.
Readers will find a detailed analysis of how language impacted Indonesian nationalism and the revolution itself. The book incorporates literature from both Indonesian and Dutch sources, along with first-person accounts, to illustrate the complexities of communication during this transformative period. By focusing on the interplay between language and sociopolitical change, Siegel provides insights into the historical and cultural dynamics of Southeast Asia, making this edition a valuable resource for those interested in history, linguistics, and the sociolinguistic aspects of revolutions.
Official synopsis Publisher
This book concerns the role of language in the Indonesian revolution. James Siegel, an anthropologist with long experience in various parts of that country, traces the beginnings of the Indonesian revolution, which occurred from 1945 through 1949 and which ended Dutch colonial rule, to the last part of the nineteenth century. At that time, the peoples of the Dutch East Indies began to translate literature from most places in the world. Siegel discovers in that moment a force within communication more important than the specific messages it conveyed. The subsequent containment of this linguistic force he calls the “fetish of modernity,” which, like other fetishes, was thought to be able to compel events. Here, the event is the recognition of the bearer of the fetish as a person of the modern world.
The taming of this force in Indonesian nationalism and the continuation of its wild form in the revolution are the major subjects of the book. Its material is literature from Indonesian and Dutch as well as first-person accounts of the revolution.
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