Using a historical sociology approach, this book illustrates the formation of the technological state in Indonesia during the New Order period (1966-1998). It explores the nexus between power, high technology, development, and authoritarianism situated in the Southeast Asian context.

The book discusses how the New Order regime shifted from the developmental state to the technological state, which was characterized by desire for technological supremacy. The process resulted in the establishment of a host of technological institutions and the undertaking of large-scale high-tech programs. Shedding light on the political dimension of socio-technological transformation, this book looks at the relationship between authoritarian politics and high technology development, and examines how effectively technology serves to sustain legitimacy of an authoritarian power.

It explores into multiple features of the Indonesian technological state, covering the ideology of development, the politics of technocracy, the institutional structure, and the material and symbolic embodiments of high technology, and goes on to discuss the impact of globalization on the technological state. The book is an important contribution to studies on Southeast Asian Politics, Development, and Science, Technology, and Society (STS).

Reviews

"Theoretically sophisticated and empirically refreshing, The Technological State in Indonesia offers fascinating insight into the interplay of power, technology and authoritarian politics in late-New Order Indonesia. Rejecting a technologically deterministic perspective, Sulfikar Amir demonstrates convincingly how modernist visions, power relations and legitimacy needs shaped the process of technological adoption and development in Indonesia under Suharto. At the same time, Amir makes an original contribution to the study of Indonesian politics by showing that the New Order regime was much more than just a military dictatorship or a developmental state. This book fills al void in our knowledge of Indonesian politics in the late Suharto era." - Tuong Vu, University of Oregon, USA

Contents

Introduction 1. Authoritarianism and Technocracy 2. The General and the Engineer 3. Bureaucratization of Technology 4. Building Strategic Industries 5. Accelerating Transformation 6. Take-Off 7. Downfall

Author Bio

Sulfikar Amir is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Sociology at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests include science and technology studies, technological politics, development, nationalism, globalization, sociology of risk, and resilience studies.