Free (DRM-free) Breaking the Silence & Truth Will Out [1960s Indonesia Event History]

[ATDrake]

As part of the Herb Feith Translation Series' mandate to translate and make available in English high-quality to spread awareness and understanding of Indonesia, two translations of memoirs and essays about eyewitness accounts and remembrances of the mass killings events in Indonesian history during the 1960s (Wikipedia) which eventually led to the downfall of the then-government, among other things, are being offered as downloadable open-access books, free courtesy of the University of Monash in Australia.

Breaking the Silence: Survivors Speak about 1965–66 Violence in Indonesia edited by Indonesian literary figure Puhu Oka Sukanta (Wikipedia), translated by Jennifer Lindsey & Truth Will Out: Indonesian Accounts of the 1965 Mass Violence edited by Dr. Baskara T. Wardaya SJ (Wilson Center profile), also translated by Jennifer Lindsay, are accessibly written academic titles which provide context for the background, while allowing the voices of the Indonesian people to shine through.

Currently free, offered on a permanent educational basis @ the translation series' webpage (DRM-free ePub available worldwide, and also as online reads)

Monash University itself offers over a dozen additional open access titles available as online reads, mainly of Australian local and/or historical interest, but there are also books among them which cover other Pacific Rim and southern hemisphere nations, as well, including another book on Indonesia in more modern times.

And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

Because not only is recording the perhaps otherwise-forgotten oral history of stuff that happened within living memory important, so is making it available to persons who might not have access to said records, and for there to not only be a dedicated translation project to promote such understanding, but also a dedicated translation project which makes their results available free for all to learn from, is always doubleplusgood and appreciated and worthy of a spotlight.

Enjoy!

Description (for Breaking the Silence)
Edited by former political prisoner Putu Oka Sukanta, this is a collection of accounts from people around the archipelago who experienced the 1965 violence in Indonesia.

Fifteen witnesses from Medan, Palu, Kendari, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Bali, Kupang and Sabu Island share their stories of how they navigated this horrifying period of Indonesian history and how they have lived with this past. The book is based on life history interviews with ordinary people who worked as teachers, artists, women’s activists and policemen, whose lives were turned upside down when the attack on those considered to be supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party began.

These accounts, including one from a perpetrator who is now tormented by guilt, and survivors who still feel isolated and rejected by society, show how the violence continues to influence Indonesian society. The book will be a valuable resource for students of history, of Indonesia and for people wanting to understand the impact of this violence.

Description (for Truth Will Out)
This striking compilation of essays surveys a variety of views about the 1965 mass violence in Indonesia and current efforts to understand it. The book is the product of an oral history project involving senior and young researchers from Yogyakarta.

The accounts it presents include a military man who continues to see the violence as justified and refuses survivors the status of victim; two Muslims who believe that the Communist were and continue to remain a threat to society; and a Catholic activist who reflects on how they were manipulated to support the violence.

These accounts are complemented by the views of survivors of the violence, some of whom see this as a national problem that goes far beyond individual suffering. This book provides a valuable window into why this past remains contested today and some of the obstacles to reconciliation and full rehabilitation of survivors.