A Short History of Bali: Indonesia's Hindu Realm

A Short History of Asia

by Robert Pringle

Covering the history of Bali from before the Bronze Age to the presidency of Megawati Sukarnoputri, this examination highlights the ethnic dynamics of the island and its place in modern Indonesia. Included is an analysis of the arrival of Indian culture, early European contact, and the complex legacies of Dutch control. Also explored are the island's contemporary economic progress and the environmental problems generated by population growth and massive tourist development.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

266 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dry but very informative of Bali's history! so excited for my trip!

[Jennifer Louden · Rating 3 out of 5]

In preparation for our upcoming trip, Bob and I both read this. Super readable and informative. i'm grateful to be married to someone so curious so now I won't be going to Bali with my head filled with myths but with my eyes open to a unique and complex society working to keep what matters to them alive and balanced with modernity.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief but very informative history of Bali from prehistoric to modern times. Balanced and well rounded. Definitely not an academic book, it was actually quite pleasurable to read.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the series!

[Steff · Rating 2 out of 5]

A half-decent overview which skims the key points of Bali's fascinating history, but my god I found this dry! There are zero citations which prevents further reading where claims are made or quotes given - this was disappointing for me. At times, the argument felt tinged with Eurocentrism, which I found problematic and quite limited, considering what is actually being discussed in the book. I wouldn't recommend this to a friend, but it is an introductory point into Bali's history, if an unsatisfactory one.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are surprisingly few histories of Bali available. This one is not always easy to follow (and we learn more about some white artist's dinner guests than we do about most of the significant kings) and contains much foreshadowing that expects the reader to know too much. But I get the impression there are relatively few native primary sources to work from. Better than nothing.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good overview of the history of Bali giving me some context about our upcoming trip. Organized in chronological order, it was thorough and informative. However, after recently finishing Elisabeth Pisani's Indonesia Etc., this book seemed more like a textbook and less like a travel adventure. Still it served my purpose of gaining some background info on Bali.

[Grigory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, very well-written and entertaining. At the same time it shows how intricate and complicated Balinese culture is.

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 1 out of 5]

Should be called: "I learned some stuff about Bali"

I really dislike books that call themselves histories, but have no citations and start chapters with things like "my wife and I were trying to photograph..."
It will teach you things like irrigation is good for farms, archeology has underlined the importance of trade and iron makes better weapons than bronze. The best you can say is 'trite'

Its also Islamophobic, he describes Islam becoming popular as the "Islamic Scourge" so I kinda thought he was racist

I thought it was terrible, but hey if you want something extremely light to breeze through before a trip to Bali, go ahead, it will cover some of the things you would learn in a museum

[Sachin Chati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Academic.

[Ajj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the politics and history of Bali. It could use another chapter bringing it up to date but provides a lot of useful general information.