Ganyang! Indonesian Popular Songs from the Confrontation Era, 1963-1966

Many political policies of Soekarno-era Indonesia were celebrated in popular song. By far the most referenced policy was Indonesia\u27s Confrontation with Malaysia. This article examines the contents of many of those songs and discusses the reasons for their creation and popularity. At the time, the creation of an \u27Indonesian identity\u27 based on cultural practices was a matter considered of the utmost importance by Soekarno and his left-wing supporters. This led to frequent public statements against the perils of Western \u27cultural imperialism\u27, especially through rock and roll. It is argued, however, that the Left by no means had a monopoly on the propagation of national pride. The Left supported Confrontation, but so did the majority of the Indonesian public; many also liked Western-influenced music and a number of Confrontation songs are not so dissimilar to the popular Western music of the day. Through an examination of some of these songs, referencing popular culture theorists and Indonesian popular culture specialists (both in the fields of music and other areas), it is shown how popular music reflected what was happening in the political arena, and also how songwriters and performers endeavoured to use music to articulate their own social meaning

Usi lan Ai: The raja who died by fire. The death of Raja Bil Nope in Netherlands Timor, 1910

In the early twentieth century the Dutch in the Netherlands Indies began a concerted effort to confirm their authority throughout the archipelago. This policy had dire consequences for some indigenous rulers in Netherlands Timor, whose kingdoms were virtually destroyed. Other rulers felt that by allying themselves with the Dutch they could strengthen their position and rid themselves of rivals. This was the case with the ruler of Amanuban, Raja Bil Nope, who invited the Dutch into his kingdom in 1906. By 1910, however, Bil Nope was totally disenchanted with the Dutch administration and rose in revolt. Nope and a small band of followers later died during a siege of his palace. There are a number of unexplained matters concerning the revolt and death of Bil Nope and the paper concludes with some conjecture that the whole affair was subject to a cover-up by the Dutch authorities

Jacobus Arnoldus Hazaart and the British interregnum in Netherlands Timor, 1812-1816

The term \u27British interregnum\u27, in relation to Indonesia, refers to two short periods in the late eighteenth and early ninteenth centuries when the British took control of most of the Netherlands Indies from the Dutch, only to hand it back a few years later. The British did this as a result of their wars with France. The first occupation occurred in 1795-1797 after a pro-France regime had been established in Holland. After peace was declared in 1802, the occupied territories were returned to the Dutch

Assessment methods appropriate for teaching history in Australian universities

Australia is currently moving towards a national regulatory system for standards of teaching and learning in higher education. As professional historians we should all be concerned about the standards applied to the teaching of our discipline in Australian universities. This paper focuses on the issue of assessment and the role it plays in learning. Various assessment methods are evaluated and suggestions made on which are most appropriate for the teaching of History in Australian universities. The paper concludes with some recommendations on how assessment practices could be improved

A Short-lived Enthusiasm: The Australian Consulate in Portuguese Timor

As a result of experiences during the Second World War, Australian strategists came to believe that it was essential to make sure that Portuguese Timor could not be used by any forces hostile to Australia in any future conflict. In 1943, Australia made an agreement with Portugal that it would meet for discussions on trade, mutual defence and other matters concerning Portuguese Timor as soon as practicable. It was with this aim in mind that Australia appointed its first consul to Portuguese Timor, who arrived in Dili on 26 January 1946. That consul, Charles Eaton, seems to have been optimistic of Australian opportunities to develop trade and defence arrangements with the Portuguese and that optimism appears to have been shared by the Australian government. By the time Eaton was replaced in October 1947, however, that enthusiasm appears to have been on the wane. By late 1949, Australia was considering closing its consulate in Dili and the second consul, Doug White, was withdrawn on 23 June 1950. This book, illustrated with many rare photographs, seeks to discover why it was that Australia established the Dili consulate with such enthusiasm in 1946, but by late 1949 was considering withdrawing its consul and closing the facility altogether. In the event, the consulate remained open and a description is given of the situation up until 1971, when its doors were closed for good. Australia, however, seems to have lost interest in the colony well before then. Steven Farram received his doctorate in history from Charles Darwin University in 2004. He has published widely on the history and politics of East Timor, Indonesia and the Northern Territory. He works at Charles Darwin University as a research associate