IQAS: Vol. 52 No. 1-2 (2021): The Governing of (In)Security. Politics and Securitisation in the Asian Context
Gunnar Stange’s monograph is a detailed account of a complex scene: post-conflict, post-disaster and post-secessionist Aceh. The book walks the reader through the twists and turns of political transformation of Aceh from 2005 to 2012 with rich ethnographic detail. The tragic Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 claimed over 230,000 lives across the coasts of East Africa, South and South East Asia. The world turned its eyes to Aceh, one of the most affected regions in 2004 after this disaster, an event that Gunnar Stange points was a key impulse for peace talks to begin and pick up speed. His study counts as one of the few long-term fieldwork pieces addressing the transformation process from an identity politics perspective. By focusing on how a conflict can operate in different modes, this piece contributes to our understanding of conflict and the rearticulation of power. The author reminds us that conflict is not simply the opposite of peace but, if anything, inherent in processes of peace making.
12.07.2021
Book Review: Post-secessionism in Aceh, Indonesia
