Exposed
A Visual History of the Destruction of the Indonesian Left
Published on 15. October 2025
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-5017-8059-2 (ISBN)
Description
Exposed tells the story of the orchestrated mass violence of 1965-1968 in Indonesia and its aftermath. By highlighting visual imagery, Geoffrey Robinson and Douglas Kammen fill a void in existing accounts, challenge distorted official narratives, and establish a basis on which new social memories and interpretations might be formed.
Following an alleged coup attempt on October 1, 1965, at least half a million members of the legal Communist Party of Indonesia and other leftist organizations were killed and another million or so were detained and held for long periods without charge or trial. The consequences of these events were far-reaching and marked a crucial turning point in the Cold War. In less than a year, the largest non-governing Communist party in the world was crushed, and the country's popular left-nationalist President Sukarno was swept aside, signaling the start of more than three decades of military-backed authoritarian rule. Exposed is the first-ever visual history of these important, but long-obscured, events.
Following an alleged coup attempt on October 1, 1965, at least half a million members of the legal Communist Party of Indonesia and other leftist organizations were killed and another million or so were detained and held for long periods without charge or trial. The consequences of these events were far-reaching and marked a crucial turning point in the Cold War. In less than a year, the largest non-governing Communist party in the world was crushed, and the country's popular left-nationalist President Sukarno was swept aside, signaling the start of more than three decades of military-backed authoritarian rule. Exposed is the first-ever visual history of these important, but long-obscured, events.
Reviews / Votes
"Together, these photographs, accompanied by brief texts, seek to construct a narrative far different from the official one, and more powerful than that written to date by historians and popularizers." - Red Archipelago"The left was once a vibrant and influential part of Indonesian political life, but in 1965-66 the Indonesian army and its allies violently destroyed it. Exposed offers the most accessible account yet of how they did so. As Indonesian society continues to bear the imprint of these events, the book stands as essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the country today." - asian review of books
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Ithaca
United States
Publishing group
Cornell University Press
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
324 illustrations - 323 b&w halftones, 1 map - 323 Halftones, black and white - 1 Maps
Dimensions
Height: 257 mm
Width: 185 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
852 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5017-8059-2 (9781501780592)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Geoffrey Robinson is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on the history of political violence, genocide, and human rights, especially in Southeast Asia.
Douglas Kammen is Associate Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on the history and politics of Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
Douglas Kammen is Associate Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on the history and politics of Indonesia and Timor-Leste.