Book Review: Asia and the Pacific: Islam and Politics in South East Asia
| DOI | 10.1111/1478-9302.12016_124 |
| Author | Majid Daneshgar |
| Published date | 01 May 2013 |
| Date | 01 May 2013 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
McGlinchey, the key factors are: (1) the varying pat-
terns of Moscow’s intervention in Central Asia during
the perestroika period; (2) the different economic
endowments of Central Asian states; and (3) the dis-
similar degrees of Islamic revivalism in the region.
The interplay between these three issues informs the
careful process of tracing the authoritarian ‘chaos’ in
Kyrgyzstan (p.80), ‘violence’in Uzbekistan (p. 114) and
‘dynasty’ in Kazakhstan. In this context, McGlinchey
provides one of the most thoughtful accounts to date of
the differences in the post-Soviet trajectories of the
Central Asian states. His book demonstrates that it is
through a determined contextual examination that a
veritable account of the multiple and often contradic-
tory processes underpinning the alterations in social,
economic and political dynamics of the region can
emerge. It is expected therefore that McGlinchey’s
investigation will be welcomed not only by students of
Central Asian affairs, but also by all those interested in
post-Soviet transitions and comparative politics.
Emilian Kavalski
(University of Western Sydney)
Islam and Politics in South East Asia by Johan
Saravanamuttu (ed.). Abingdon: Routledge, 2010.
208pp., £26.95, ISBN 9780415625340
This book is the tenth volume of the Routledge
‘Malaysian Studies’ series.It is edited by Johan Saravan-
amuttu, who has lived in Southeast Asia for a long time
and is familiar with the culture and political environ-
ment of this strategic region of Asia. He has ably
assembled a team of specialists to compile this book.
Nine detailed articles by eight prominent scholars
examine political Islam in both majority and minority
Muslim countries in Southeast Asia and eight contri-
butions also endeavour to present the situation of
Muslim communities within both democratic and
authoritarian polities in the region.
Following on from the editor’s fully developed
introduction (ch. 1), five chapters elaborate the con-
nectivity of political Islam and authority with democ-
racy in majority Muslim countries, that is, Malaysia and
Indonesia. The fundamental arguments in these five
chapters concern the disinclination of Indonesia to
become an Islamic state, while on the other hand,
political Islam in Malaysia would not be successful
without relying on the authoritarianism of state
powers. The three remaining chapters focus on the
three minority Muslim countries of Thailand, Philip-
pines and Singapore. These chapters provide readers
with two different messages: (a) political Islam in Thai-
land and Philippines brings violence, struggle and even
death for their Muslims; (b) in contrast,Singapore suc-
cessfully manages political Islam, and local Muslim
organisations are able to meet the state’s expectations,
and vice versa.
The book is a well-written work and its readers,
who would mostly be Southeast Asia scholars, sociolo-
gists and researchers of politics and religion, never lose
the logical threads of the discourse. Other notable fea-
tures of the book are the diversity of issues covered in
each chapter; a complete list of abbreviations; and the
presence of a knowledgeable author for each chapter.
The book has an interesting cover image entitled‘Judg-
ment Day’, which shows the diversity and unity prin-
ciples together on a green background and includes
pointers to the content of this work.
But despite these strengths, a key component that is
missing from the book is the theory of Sultanism.The
book also fails to deal with the status of Brunei as a
majority Muslim country and Burma as a minor ity
one. Yet overall, Saravanamuttu’s lucid and well-
researched work makes a significant contribution to
our understanding of the positive and negative role of
political Islam in Southeast Asia.
Majid Daneshgar
(Academy of Islamic Studies, University of Malaya)
Religion, Politics and Gender in Indonesia: Dis-
puting the Muslim Body by Sonja van Wichelen.
Abingdon: Routledge, 2012. 184pp.,£85.00, ISBN 978
0415497244
Sonja van Wichelen’s book is the four th volume of
Routledge’s ‘Research on Gender in Asia’ ser ies, which
is aimed at scholars of political science, cultural studies,
gender studies, Asian studies and religious studies. The
volume begins with a chapter introducing Muslim
politics and democratisation and ends with a discussion
of sexualised bodies and morality. The book mostly
considers the socio-cultural transformations and politi-
cal changes in Indonesia as the world’s most populous
Muslim majority nation, after the downfall of the
Suharto administration in 1998 and the introduction of
the ‘New Order’.Wichelen examines four key topics in
304 ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
© 2013 TheAuthors. Political Studies Review © 2013 Political Studies Association
Political Studies Review: 2013, 11(2)
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