Most recent articles by Bettina David
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Indonesia's presidential electionK-Pop not Islam
This year's Valentine's Day saw a presidential election in Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy. Conservative-Islamic morals and panic-mongering tactics took a back seat on social media channels filled with music, cat videos…and elderly presidential hopefuls dancing
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Laksmi Pamuntjak′s novel "The Question of Red"The silence is broken
In her novel "The Question of Red", Indonesian author Laksmi Pamuntjak effectively combines the multi-faceted nature of the island state′s sociopolitical system and its bloody recent history with the fate of her fictional protagonists. Bettina David read the book
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Islamic popular literature: ″Sastra Islami″″God′s gift to Indonesia″
Sastra Islami is seen by its representatives as a corrective to the increasing ″Westernisation″ and ″secularisation″ of Indonesia. It presents itself as a religious counter-movement to the firmly secular literature published since the fall of Suharto in 1998. By Bettina David
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The death of Abdelwahab MeddebA proponent of disloyal loyalty
The renowned Tunisian-French writer and Islam expert Abdelwahab Meddeb died of cancer in Paris on 6 November 2014. He was 68. Obituary by Bettina David
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Andrea Hirata's novel "The Rainbow Troops"One novel; two very different versions
Andrea Hirata's novel "The Rainbow Troops" is the first Indonesian novel to become an international bestseller. Interestingly, the version available outside Indonesia is very different to the one familiar to Indonesian readers. Bettina David explores why