Author Description

Forbidden Memories is the first book to consider the experiences of women survivors of the 1965 anti-communist violence in the majority Christian provinces in Eastern Indonesia. So far, most studies of the 1965 violence have focused on the Muslim majority population of Java and the Hindu majority population of Bali. Forbidden Memories presents stories - from across the regions of Sumba, Sabu, Alor, Kupang, and other parts of West Timor - of women who were imprisoned and tortured or whose husbands were murdered. The book is a critical examination of the role of the Protestant church at the time of the violence and in its aftermath, including ongoing sanctions and political purges against those considered to be supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party. Themes include the impact of the violence on women teachers, members of the women's organization Gerwani, and the fracturing of social and religious communities. It critiques the role of religious and state institutions for failing to care for this vulnerable community in the face of state terrorism and a culture of fear. *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO (Series: Herb Feith Translation Series) [Subject: History, Asian Studies, Indonesian Studies, Women's Studies, Politics, Religious Studies]