[Linganth] Joe Errington's book

[Ilana Gershon]

Dear Colleagues,
Today on the CaMP blog, Joseph Errington answers questions posed by Jessica
Peng, discussing his book,
*Other Indonesians: Nationalism in a Unnative Language*
The blog can be found here:
https://campanthropology.org/

Best,
Ilana

Press blurb: In 1928, members of a young subaltern Indonesian elite pirated
the language of the Dutch empire, bringing the Indonesian language into
being along with its nation. Today, Indonesian is the language of two
hundred and forty million citizens but is the "native" language of no one.

Through rich analysis focused on the interplay of language varieties in two
remote Indonesian provinces, *Other Indonesians *describes the unique
language dynamic which has enabled the development of modern, democratic
Indonesia. Complicating binaries that pit "low" against "high" Indonesian,
or "standard" against "mixed," J. Joseph Errington argues that it is
precisely the un-ethnic, non-territorial quality of Indonesian that enables
its speakers to express themselves as members of a national community. This
detailed account locates Indonesian not only within the institutions which
give it distinctive value in the nation, but also in the biographies of its
young, educated speakers. With a nuanced understanding of national
identity, this book shows how careful analysis of Indonesia can provide
insight into broader dynamics of postcolonial nationalism in a globalizing
world.
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