Sultans, Shamans & Saints

Abstract

Few people in North American academia are more knowledgeable about Islam in Southeast Asia, and especially in Indonesia, than Howard Federspiel. The forte of his own research contributions lays not so much in innovative analyses as in presenting comprehensive and useful overviews for specialists and novice students alike. As a political scientist, he made his name with his study of Indonesia’s Persatuan Islam (PERSIS), a modernist Islamic organization active from the 1920s until the 1950s – the critical time frame during which the Dutch colony gained its independence. This was followed by further contributions to the country’s contemporary intellectual history. With Sultans, Shamans & Saints, Federspiel has now tried his hand at producing a general overview of Islam in Southeast Asia ...