Surjomihardjo, Abdurrachman. Kota Yogyakarta 1880-1930; Sejarah Perkembangan Sosial. Yogyakarta: Yayasan untuk Indonesia, 2000, 270pp.
ABSTRACT
The City of Yogyakarta 1880-1930: A History of Social Transformation
Kota Yogyakarta 1880-1930; Sejarah Perkembangan Sosial
This book is based on a dissertation written by Abdurrachman Surjomihardjo in 1988. It is one of the earliest studies by an Indonesian scholar using a social historian’s approach.
The book analyses the transformation of social groups in the city of Yogyakarta, together with the change from a traditional monarchy into a modern colonial culture. It focuses on the growth of three social institutions, namely educational institutions, the press agencies, and nationalist movements. It then analyses the relationship between the three.
The volume depicts social changes in Yogyakarta, by looking at the process of modernisation experienced by the city. The changes were prompted by the colonial policy called “rust en orde,” (Law and Order), the introduction of new institutions imported from Europe, and, the emergence of organisations and associations that were independent from royal and colonial bureaucracies.
The book uses colonial documents and observations as its main sources. It relied on the information provided by small groups involved in the social, political and professional activities of the city.
The study concludes that Yogyakarta is a modern city with a visible traditional and colonial legacy. It mentions that its educational institutions created intellectuals who later fed the emerging nationalist organisations.
The book provides a bibliography, index, pictures and maps. It also attaches lists of newspapers printed in Yogyakarta from the nineteenth century, statistics related to education, and lists political organisations between 1900 and 1950.
Amelia Fauzia
