Justice, Geography, and Steel: Technology and National Identity in Indonesian Industrialization

• Autores: Suzanne Moon
• Localización: Osiris, ISSN 0369-7827, Año 24, 2009, págs. 253-277
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This essay explores the connections between technology and the postcolonial project of national identity formation in Indonesia during the early years of industrialization, from 1950�75. Using a steel plant in Cilegon, West Java as a lens, this article examines the narratives of national identity that justified the building of this �impractical� plant from its beginnings as a Sukarno-era Soviet aid project, to its final realization in Suharto�s New Order as a key piece of Indonesian oil giant Pertamina�s �state-within-a-state� business empire. Advocates in both the Old and New Orders consistently drew on narratives of geography and justice to defend their visions of industrialization, but contrary to their hopes, the materiality of the technology did not necessarily make these moral tales of technology and nation more stable and enduring.