An Indonesian History: Personalized Politics in Makassar and South Sulawesi, c.1600-2018

Forthcoming - pre-order now!

Heather Sutherland

How does the deep history of a region shape its contemporary politics? Why do some areas remain stubbornly resistant to central control, generation after generation? And how do centuries-old power dynamics persist even as empires rise and fall?

Heather Sutherland's comprehensive history of South Sulawesi reveals how Indonesia's most politically distinctive region has navigated four centuries of dramatic change while maintaining remarkably consistent patterns of governance. From the Dutch conquest of Makassar in 1669 through Indonesia's ongoing democratic experiment, this Indonesian province has embodied a particular form of politics—intensely personal, transactional, and resistant to outside control.

Sutherland traces how the fundamental tension between Makassar's cosmopolitan trading elites and the competitive inland kingdoms created a unique political culture that has outlasted Dutch colonialism, Japanese occupation, authoritarian rule, and democratic transition. Regional specialists and those interested in the dynamics between center and periphery in postcolonial states will find particularly valuable insights into the deep roots of contemporary Indonesian politics.

"Elegantly written, carefully crafted, and effectively situated within regional and global historical contexts... Adding to Heather Sutherland’s many lasting scholarly achievements, the book stands as one of the most impressive local histories in the field of Southeast Asian Studies and provides a highly illuminating prism through which to trace transformations across the Indonesian archipelago and the region as a whole from the seventeenth century up to the present day."
– J.T. Sidel, London School of Economics and Political Science

"Very few people alive know the history of Southwest Sulawesi as well as Heather Sutherland.  She has forgotten more than most of us can hope to know in a single lifetime about this fascinating, dynamic place." 
– Eric Tagliacozzo, Cornell University

"This stunning book is the welcome culmination of a half century of study of the politicians and politics of the city of Makassar and its hinterland in south Sulawesi. Bringing an encyclopedic knowledge and a sharp eye for characterization, Heather Sutherland examines the ongoing tension between the allure of maritime commerce and the desire for terrestrial hegemony across four centuries. The result is dazzling."
– Douglas Kammen, National University of Singapore

Heather Sutherland is a retired professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Publication Year: 2026
624 pp, 254 x 178mm
13 maps, 62 b/w images
Paperback
ISBN: 978-981-325-205-9