Ariel Heryanto is Lecturer at the Melbourne Institute of Asian Languages and Societies, The University of Melbourne. Sumit K. Mandal is Research Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

'It does not provide any blue print for the future but it does provide valuable insights into the present - insights that are necessary for a more accurate view of the socio-political situation of the two countries.' - Options'Ariel Heryanto, Sumit Mandal and their co-writers are to be congratulated for the publication of this important book ... it offers the reader a serious and in-depth evaluation of the socio-political implications of the [reformasi].' - The Jakarta Post'The well-researched material detailing some of the political and social dynamics at work within Indonesian and Malaysian civil society in the last decade are a significant contribution to our understanding of this period of great change.' - Intersections (Murdoch University)'The editors and contributors have skilfully maintained their focus on the issue while successfully avoiding the obvious danger of digressing.' - Tempo'Contributors are local scholars who themselves have had direct personal involvement with the activism discussed. This is not a book written by armchair academics in a far-away air-conditioned ivory tower.' - The Nation'Together, the six essays and the incisive introduction provide some new ways of looking at authoritarianism in the region.' - Contemporary Southeast Asia

• Acknowledgments List of Contributors 1. Challenges to Authoritarianism in Indonesia and Malaysia 2. Public Intellectuals, Media, and Democratization: Cultural Politics of the Middle Classes in Indonesia 3. Developing Dissent in Industrializing Localities: Civil Society in Penang and Batam 4. Changing State-Labour Relations in Indonesia and Malaysia 5. Islamization and Democratization in Malaysia in Regional and Global Contexts 6. The Blessed Tragedy: The Making of Women's Activism During the Reformasi Years 7. Creativity ion Protest: Arts Workers and the Recasting of Politics and Society in Indonesia and Malaysia References Appendix Glossary

Ariel Heryanto is Lecturer at the Melbourne Institute of Asian Languages and Societies, The University of Melbourne. Sumit K. Mandal is Research Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

'It does not provide any blue print for the future but it does provide valuable insights into the present - insights that are necessary for a more accurate view of the socio-political situation of the two countries.' - Options'Ariel Heryanto, Sumit Mandal and their co-writers are to be congratulated for the publication of this important book ... it offers the reader a serious and in-depth evaluation of the socio-political implications of the [reformasi].' - The Jakarta Post'The well-researched material detailing some of the political and social dynamics at work within Indonesian and Malaysian civil society in the last decade are a significant contribution to our understanding of this period of great change.' - Intersections (Murdoch University)'The editors and contributors have skilfully maintained their focus on the issue while successfully avoiding the obvious danger of digressing.' - Tempo'Contributors are local scholars who themselves have had direct personal involvement with the activism discussed. This is not a book written by armchair academics in a far-away air-conditioned ivory tower.' - The Nation'Together, the six essays and the incisive introduction provide some new ways of looking at authoritarianism in the region.' - Contemporary Southeast Asia

• Acknowledgments List of Contributors 1. Challenges to Authoritarianism in Indonesia and Malaysia 2. Public Intellectuals, Media, and Democratization: Cultural Politics of the Middle Classes in Indonesia 3. Developing Dissent in Industrializing Localities: Civil Society in Penang and Batam 4. Changing State-Labour Relations in Indonesia and Malaysia 5. Islamization and Democratization in Malaysia in Regional and Global Contexts 6. The Blessed Tragedy: The Making of Women's Activism During the Reformasi Years 7. Creativity ion Protest: Arts Workers and the Recasting of Politics and Society in Indonesia and Malaysia References Appendix Glossary

Ariel Heryanto is Lecturer at the Melbourne Institute of Asian Languages and Societies, The University of Melbourne. Sumit K. Mandal is Research Fellow at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

'It does not provide any blue print for the future but it does provide valuable insights into the present - insights that are necessary for a more accurate view of the socio-political situation of the two countries.' - Options'Ariel Heryanto, Sumit Mandal and their co-writers are to be congratulated for the publication of this important book ... it offers the reader a serious and in-depth evaluation of the socio-political implications of the [reformasi].' - The Jakarta Post'The well-researched material detailing some of the political and social dynamics at work within Indonesian and Malaysian civil society in the last decade are a significant contribution to our understanding of this period of great change.' - Intersections (Murdoch University)'The editors and contributors have skilfully maintained their focus on the issue while successfully avoiding the obvious danger of digressing.' - Tempo'Contributors are local scholars who themselves have had direct personal involvement with the activism discussed. This is not a book written by armchair academics in a far-away air-conditioned ivory tower.' - The Nation'Together, the six essays and the incisive introduction provide some new ways of looking at authoritarianism in the region.' - Contemporary Southeast Asia

• Acknowledgments List of Contributors 1. Challenges to Authoritarianism in Indonesia and Malaysia 2. Public Intellectuals, Media, and Democratization: Cultural Politics of the Middle Classes in Indonesia 3. Developing Dissent in Industrializing Localities: Civil Society in Penang and Batam 4. Changing State-Labour Relations in Indonesia and Malaysia 5. Islamization and Democratization in Malaysia in Regional and Global Contexts 6. The Blessed Tragedy: The Making of Women's Activism During the Reformasi Years 7. Creativity ion Protest: Arts Workers and the Recasting of Politics and Society in Indonesia and Malaysia References Appendix Glossary