PDF A Brief History Of Bali: Piracy; Slavery; Opium and Guns: The Story of an Island Paradise by Willard A. Hanna in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Providing historic depth to your Bali experienceBy Stage 3It is indicative of the challenges of researching history in Southeast Asia that in a 280+ page book describing Bali’s history; the pre-1800 period is concluded by page 49; indeed the history before the arrival of Europeans is over by chapter two that starts on page 35. This is not meant as a criticism but an observation that original; verifiable sources are very hard to find for Bali before the arrival of the record obsessed European trading companies. Where records were written down they were done so often on materials made from plants that have not survived the ravages of time nor are easily translated.That said; the history from 1800 up until modern times is complex enough for any reader to follow. This is the real core of the book; the writer has shown how Bali was not a single kingdom and how the kingdoms in Bali were not isolated from the wider region around them. At times Bali ruled parts of Java and also Lombok.Much of the history is told through the accounts of the foreign traders and officials. Bali was not seen as a great prize by the Dutch after they had conquered Java but they did not want the Balinese destabilising the kingdoms on Java. Between 1846 and 1908 the Dutch launched seven military expeditions to control the Balinese. These expeditions were not always successful. Indeed; in some of them; the Dutch were repulsed with significant casualties. Bali was no easy target.The author does show his “frustration” with the Balinese and indeed uses some adjectives that imply a negative view. Through the history of Balinese-European contact; the Balinese would sign treaties with foreigners; the kings would renege and sign them again. Without a doubt; most western readers would see this as duplicitous. However; in a culture where agreements between kingdoms were sealed by marriages or exchanges of hostages; what worth did an unintelligible foreign scrawling on paper have. Even though the king may have agreed to what was explained to him; he was near enough to divine; ergo any change of heart he had was permissible because he could do no wrong. If he had done wrong then he would be punished by the gods not by humans.I found the sections that dealt with the Puputans (ritual mass suicide); as there was more than one; to be very interesting. How eery it must have been to be a Dutch trooper standing outside one of the royal palaces expecting a vigorous counter-attack but instead seeing a steady procession of white garbed monarchy and courtiers who then started killing themselves as well as assisting others. While some did charge into the gun barrels of the Dutch to be killed; the majority took their own lives without the assistance of the Dutch. This event is commemorated in several statues in Bali. While the statues seem to suggest a glorious attack; in reality most participants took their own lives. Some later paintings try to show a glorious defiance but a contemporary photo (found on the web) of the result shows that it was probably just starkly horrific to an extent that would not have been comprehensible to the Europeans; beyond reinforcing their negative attitude of the royal families.There are a number of black and white pictures as well as photos scattered throughout the book. The early photos are often most intriguing showing large Dutch beside small Balinese; the latter not really appearing to comprehend what is happening. There is a particularly striking photo of two female slaves that appears to have been taken in a photographic studio. These two women look out over the years; only one has a name noted; and she was from Papua. Beyond the visual impact; this photo reminds us that Bali was part the trade networks that covered what is now the Indonesian archipelago. It also highlights the mentions in the text that Bali had numerous slaves who are now lost to history but are symbolised in this photo. Why we may recoil at the notion of slavery; especially on the paradise island; I think that knowing this occurred helps to create a fuller picture of Bali.This book does an excellent job of making a more three dimensional Bali; with a long history spring from its pages. While the views may be outdated in a book originally republished in 1976; and re-released in 2004; it will allow the reader to get behind the glossy tourist view of Bali. It will allow readers to understand that Bali was and is so much more than the cheap Bali sold to tourists; often by people who are actually from East Java or Madura.If you want to understand how Bali got to where it is today; then I can recommend this book. The 2004 version comes with no footnotes or an index but there is a bibliography.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Bali; a foreign countryBy christoffer joachim mickwitzAn old-fashioned but quite interesting book about Balis history. Seen a bit from a European perspective; but perhaps it is because of the lack of sources.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Dated but fascinating historyBy Kindle CustomerNote that this is a reprint of a book from the mid-1970s; updated slightly with a more recent forward.The amazing island of Bali has had an equally amazing history. This book goes through its history with a strong emphasis on the Dutch influence. There is a strange repetitiveness in the book; almost as if the chapters were written independently; but each chapter is so full of interesting tidbits that the repetition is easy to ignore. The fundamental point made in the book is that Bali is an island stuck until recently in 1600; with all the grandeur; mannerisms; and culture of that time. Why did Bali remain the same for so long? The author points to many of the activities of the Dutch; for good and for bad (and some of it unbelievably bad).I read the book while on Bali; and during the flight home; and could not put it down. This is not a book about art or culture but rather on how historical decisions affected an island and its peoples.It was interesting to note that the author was horrified about the possibility of there being 300;000 tourists per year on the island; while the current number is about 10 times that. And his comments about "hippies" on the island provide unintended humor; and clearly date the book.Overall; well worth the read to get a better feeling of how Bali got to where it is; or was in the 1970s.