The 'IIAS Newsletter' interviews
Peter Nas and Roger Tol
Batavia-Jakarta,
Jakarta-Batavia
Jakarta - during the colonial days called Batavia - may be considered well studied. This is the very brief but also rather apt conclusion when we browse through the latest bibliographical tool published by the Royal Institute for Linguistics and Anthropology (KITLV) 'Batavia-Jakarta 1600 - 2000', compiled by Ewald Ebing and Youetta de Jager. It lists no less than 5,372 titles of books, articles, theses, reports, and many more in a variety of languages, both European and Indonesian. Although the latest entries in this bibliography were published in 1999, yet another book on Jakarta came out in 2000, namely 'Jakarta-Batavia: Socio-cultural essays', edited by Kees Grijns and Peter J.M. Nas and also published by KITLV. This demonstrates that no matter how complete a bibliography can be, the studies continue and a book is outdated the moment it is published. Jakarta is still 'en vogue' in the academic world. We spoke with Dr Peter Nas, anthropologist at Leiden University, and Dr Roger Tol, chief librarian at KITLV.
When I interviewed Peter Nas a couple of years ago, I asked him about the idea behind Urban Studies, because the number of methodologies and academic disciplines used in these studies was vast at the time and, as evidenced by the bibliography, had always been and still remains so.
Nas: That is the wonderful thing about Urban Studies. It is so diverse. One can look at cities and urban areas in such a variety of ways. Some claim the whole idea of Urban Studies does not exist, but I think it does. What brings us together is the concept of the city and the way we look at it is open to everyone's own academic inclination. It may seem that we just do whatever we like but, when you look at it over a period of time, one does notice certain trends emerging that are shared by large numbers of urban specialists. In studies of Jakarta, we see a shift towards the study of identities. The orang betawi of Jakarta paradox, for instance. The number of orang betawi is growing but, because of the larger increase in the overall Jakarta population, their role becomes more and more marginalized. Also, the themes which constantly reoccur, such as housing, population, and urban environmental issues will always be studied, but the emphasis changes. For instance, we always thought that urban green was only for recreation, but it is being proved crucial for people's well-being, so the aesthetics are not the only reason for urban green. The ecological component is now becoming increasingly important.
When looking at the bibliography, one wonders if other urban areas in Southeast Asia have been studied as enthusiastically as Jakarta. One would expect that cities like Manila or Bangkok would also have been studied by many for a long time. Does such a thing as a bibliography on Urban Studies conducted on other areas exist?
Tol: None have been published to my knowledge. That does not necessarily mean that other urban areas in the regions have not been extensively studied, but bibliographies seem to be lacking. We should not forget that one single person has been crucial in the compilation of both books, and that is Kees Grijns. After a workshop in 1995, organized by the CNWS but initiated by Grijns, two books were envisaged: the volume of articles Jakarta-Batavia, and the bibliography. He remained keen on having the bibliography compiled notwithstanding many financial and other setbacks, and to the end he kept his spirits high while getting it completed. It is sad that he died in 1999 and thus never witnessed the fruit of his efforts being published, which also applies to the other book we are discussing here, unfortunately. This bibliography only provides bibliographic access to the publications. We are entertaining plans to make whole texts available on the Web as well, but we haven't quite reached that stage yet.
Why has the bibliography not been published on CD-ROM and why has it not been put on the Internet? In that way, it would be available to many more, especially Indonesian scholars.
Tol: One of the reasons this was not done is that we still like the idea of having a book which one can browse through. Of course, we have considered putting it on the Web but the costs of doing so in a reference work like this are prohibitive. We are trying to solve this matter, but haven't as yet found the solution. Of course, the best thing to have is both the book and a CD-ROM, and also an on-line version. Generally speaking, traditional printed works provide for the 'broad perspective', whereas digital versions excel in giving access to people who already know what they are looking for. We have to remember, as well, that digital information will not remain free of charge and if we put all material on the Web people may find that they will also be charged in the future. Unfortunately, in Indonesia fast Internet connections are still problematic in most areas, so for practical reasons a printed version is still preferable.
Nas: In a way it's best to have a book. One can see at once how broad Urban Studies are. It is more a general reference work. A book allows one to become inspired. One of the crucial characteristics of Urban Studies is its wide scope. Without first having an idea of the scope of the field, it is impossible to become acquainted with the complexities of it.
Are their significant gaps in the study of 'Jakarta-Batavia', as may be concluded from the entries of the bibliography?
Nas: No, there do not seem to be gaps. Interestingly, more entries refer to publications published over the last fifteen years than all entries of the almost four centuries before. Of course, there are many more scholars so that may account for this in part, but it is noteworthy to mention.
The complexities of Urban Studies may indeed be grasped from the edited volume 'Jakarta-Batavia'.
Nas: It does. It shows that our field covers history, linguistics, cultural and natural environment, literature, ethnicity, minorities, gender, politics, and what not. It shows in one volume the diversity of urban society in a physical environment where people become increasingly specialized. The urban area of Jakarta is a living organism consisting of millions of people. Interestingly, the more people live together, the more each individual tends to wish to display an identity all of his/her own. Urbanization bred privacy, if you like.
That would mean an interesting paradox. The more people live together, the more they want to be left alone.
Nas: Indeed. If one wants to survive a city, one needs to get away from it, even though one still remains physically surrounded by it. Too many people around a person is unnerving. We cannot cope with that and thus people will try to avoid others as much as possible. In smaller communities, people tend to know one another and so things are less frightening, but in large urban centres things are completely a different matter. One never knows where danger may lurk, and thus people keep much more to themselves.
So how does this link to globalization? One may see the same physical phenomena all over the globe. How does that relate to identity? Cities seem to be rapidly losing their own identities.
Nas: In a way, that's true. People do tend to become more easily familiar when in strange surroundings. Yet, because it looks familiar while we are conscious of being in a strange place, it is also rather unsettling. Cities tend to look much alike, and yet will do anything to keep their own identity. No matter how 'global' the world may turn to be becoming, cities will always find means to retain their own specific characteristics. As such, Urban Studies will always remain a fascinating topic to pursue, a topic to which I, for one, will continue to devote my time. - (DvdM) *
- Grijns, Kees and Peter J.M. Nas (eds), Jakarta-Batavia: Socio-cultural essays, Leiden: KITLV Press (2000), x + 349 pp, ISBN 90-6718-1390, ills. maps.
- Ebing, Ewald and Youetta de Jager, with assistance of James ter Beek, Jantien Delwel and Herman Kemp, Batavia-Jakarta,1600-2000: A bibliography, Leiden: KITLV Press (2000), xxx + 1018 pp., ISBN 90-6718-1722