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Colonialism in its modern dress: post-colonial narratives in EUrope-Indonesia relations

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Abstract

This article argues that Indonesia-EU economic relations have been accompanied by a post-colonial narrative, which has led to a transposition of anti-colonial sentiment towards the Netherlands to the EU as a whole. The post-colonial theoretical approach adopted assumes that human beings create meaning through narratives to make sense of the world that surrounds us, and that national histories contain narratives that legitimate the existence of nation-states. Through a study of Indonesian nationalism and the place of the EUropean in it, the article shows how economic relations between Indonesia and the EU have been shaped historically. It will be demonstrated how since Indonesia’s independence encounters between Indonesia and Europe has been accompanied by the experience of past colonization by an EU member state. This, it is argued, is the result of nation-building in Indonesia, whereby the other was needed to construct solidarity among its members. At present, so the article concludes, although progress has been achieved in Indonesia-EU relations, the self-image of the EU as a force for good has not reached Indonesia’s shores.

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Notes

  1. Own translation: Pemerintah Indonesia menganggap apa yang dilakukan Uni Eropa ini bentuk dari proteksionisme yang dilakukan oleh mereka terhadap produk bunga matahari dan sebagainya karena mereka tahu dengan kelapa sawit ini akan menjadi sebuah keunggulan bagi bangsa kita,” https://bisnis.tempo.co/read/1077504/jokowi-utus-luhut-untuk-negosiasi-penolakan-sawit-oleh-uni-eropa (accessed Jan. 2019)

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  1. Centre d’étude de la vie politique (CEVIPOL), SciencePo ULB, Université libre de Bruxelles, Campus du Solbosch-CP 124, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, B-1050, Bruxelles, Belgium

    Camille Nessel

  2. Department of Political Sciences, Centre for EU Studies, Ghent University, Universiteitstraat 8, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Camille Nessel

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Nessel, C. Colonialism in its modern dress: post-colonial narratives in EUrope-Indonesia relations. Asia Eur J 19, 59–74 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10308-020-00587-y

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