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Routledge Contemporary Southeast Asia Series

Propaganda and the Genocide in Indonesia: Imagined Evil

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In Indonesia, the events of 1st October 1965 were followed by a campaign to annihilate the Communist Party and its alleged sympathisers. It resulted in the murder of an estimate of one million people – a genocide that counts as one of the largest mass murders after WWII – and the incarceration of another million, many of them for a decade or more without any legal process. This drive was justified and enabled by a propaganda campaign in which communists were painted as atheist, hypersexual, amoral and intent to destroy the nation. To date, the effects of this campaign are still felt, and the victims are denied the right of association and freedom of speech.


This book presents the history of the genocide and propaganda campaign and the process towards the International People’s Tribunal on 1965 crimes against humanity in Indonesia (IPT 1965), which was held in November 2015 in The Hague, The Netherlands. The authors, an Indonesian Human Rights lawyer and a Dutch academic examine this unique event, which for the first time brings these crimes before an international court, and its verdict. They single out the campaign of hate propaganda as it provided the incitement to kill so many Indonesians and why this propaganda campaign is effective to this day. The first book on this topic, it fills a significant gap in Asian Studies and Genocide Studies.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2018

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About the author

Saskia E. Wieringa

26 books16 followers
Saskia Eleonora Wieringa is a Dutch sociologist. She is a professor of Gender and Women's Same-Sex Relations Crossculturally at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. The area of study was established by the Foundation for Lesbian and Gay Studies and sponsored by Hivos. From 1 April 2005 to 19 April 2012, she served as the director of Aletta, Institute for Women's History (currently Atria Institute on gender equality and women's history) in Amsterdam.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Kahfi.
140 reviews15 followers
September 30, 2020
Buku ini lebih praktis ketimbang buku John Roosa atau Geoffrey Robinson yang sangat-sangat teknis dengan menggali detail-detail peristiwa begitu matang dan skup temporal pembahasan hanya berfokus pada hari peristiwa itu terjadi dan beberapa hari ke depan.

Buku ini lebih berfungsi sebagai medium pelengkap dengan info-info baru nan segar guna melengkapi katalog pengetahuan tentang peristiwa G30S. Meskipun tergolong cukup ringkas, namun buku ini memiliki jarak pandang yang cukup luas dengan berupaya mencari jejak rekonsiliasi pasca peristiwa hingga saat ini.

Pada akhirnya sudut pandang kita terhadap peristiwa G30S menjadi semakin paripurna dengan terbitnya buku ini.
Profile Image for Delasyahma.
242 reviews124 followers
August 13, 2020
4,5 bintang

Banyak hal baru yang aku ketahui dari buku ini. Cukup mengagetkan. Berapa kali aku mengelurkan kata makin ketika aku membaca buku ini. Entah sudah berapa banyak. Buku ini wajib dibaca untuk melihat sudut pandang lain tentang peristiwa G30S. Bagaimana sampai hari ini hantu PKI masih menjadi momok yang digunakan untuk menakut-nakuti masyarakat Indonesia.
Profile Image for Stella Hansen.
227 reviews7 followers
June 23, 2024
4.75. Excellent discussion and documentation of the Indonesian genocide.
Profile Image for Anom Parikesit.
40 reviews3 followers
May 19, 2025
Buku yang sangat berat bagi saya. Selain didominasi oleh tulisan dan jarak antar baris yang rapat, isinya cukup membuat kepala dan hati bergetar. Sebagai salah satu orang yang dekat dan pernah diceritakan oleh korban ‘65, buku ini membuat saya terjun lebih jauh dan membayangkan lebih jauh kejadian di masa itu dengan bukti-bukti empiris
Profile Image for Luz.
1,027 reviews13 followers
January 9, 2022
In Indonesia, the events of 1st October 1965 were followed by a campaign to annihilate the Communist Party and its alleged sympathisers. It resulted in the murder of an estimate of one million people – a genocide that counts as one of the largest mass murders after WWII – and the incarceration of another million, many of them for a decade or more without any legal process. This drive was justified and enabled by a propaganda campaign in which communists were painted as atheist, hypersexual, amoral and intent to destroy the nation. To date, the effects of this campaign are still felt, and the victims are denied the right of association and freedom of speech.



This book presents the history of the genocide and propaganda campaign and the process towards the International People’s Tribunal on 1965 crimes against humanity in Indonesia (IPT 1965), which was held in November 2015 in The Hague, The Netherlands.

45/365 -2022
Profile Image for Vaneissya Purwanto.
24 reviews
October 29, 2025
Impunitas lahir ketika kita tidak benar-benar menyelesaikan kekerasan.

Buku yang cukup tipis tetapi lengkap untuk memberikan pandangan alternatif mengenai kejadian 1965 dan dampaknya hingga pasca reformasi. Dalam buku ini dibahas pula dari awal mula G30S dari berbagai sumber versi seperti dari versi John Roosa, Benedict Anderson, Martheim, maupun versi sejarah resmi pemerintah, dampak kekerasan dan propaganda sejarah dalam kehidupan sehari-hari setelah tahun 1965 hingga sekarang. Sebenarnya buku ini seperti versi intisari dari buku-buku G30S seperti Dalih Pembunuhan Massal, Riwayat Terkubur, Berkas Genosida, Metode Jakarta, Kekerasan Budaya Pasca 1965, dan Sejarah Alternatif versi Benedict Anderson, McVey, Martheim. Cocok untuk pembaca yang ingin tau secara "ringkas" dan hubungan dari buku-buku di atas.

Selama membaca buku ini, jujur, saya marah. Saya merasa fakta-fakta sejarah dan bagaimana negara seperti menyembunyikan hal tersebut dari pelajaran sejarah di sekolah merupakan salah satu cara negara memelihara impunitas. Bahkan saya merasa bahwa banyak tokoh-tokoh yang berada di tampuk kekuasaan sekarang tidak terlepas dari hubungannya di tahun-tahun tersebut. Mereka pun masih tetap aman dan melenggang di kontes politik dan menggurita di beberapa sektor ekonomi, pertahanan, dan keamanan.

Saya rasa, buku ini harus sama dipopulerkan dan dibaca oleh masyarakat luas (apalagi anak muda) agar senantiasa tahu dampak propaganda dan genosida di Indonesia untuk memobilisasi massa dan melanggengkan kekuasaan hingga saat ini.
45 reviews
June 24, 2024
Apart from presenting a rival narrative that attempts to straighten out history and restore the persecuted victims of the '65 tragedy, this book also highlights the persecution that is still happening today. Never mind the discussion & film screening, IPT '65 could just be called a joke by the politicians.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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