
Overview
Background
Emeritus Professor Robert Elson’s research interests include the modern and contemporary history of Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia.
His recently completedresearch project, entitled "the history of maritime territoriality in the Indonesian seas since 1850” was published in 2017.
Professor Elson's other research interests include Indonesian political thinking, leadership in Indonesia; changing identity in Indonesia; the social and economic history of Southeast Asia; social and economic change in nineteenth and twentieth century Java; colonialism and its impact in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia; the economic history of peasant production in Southeast Asia, 1800-1990.
He is involved in the following activities:
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Member, Editorial Board, Southeast Asia Publications Series, Asian Studies Association of Australia.
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Member, Academic Commission (Wetenschapscommissie), NIOD Instituut voor Oorlogs-, Holocaust- en Genocidestudies (Institute for War, Holocaust- and Genocide Studies) (2004-2014).
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Adjunct Professor, University of the Sunshine Coast.
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External Examiner University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur for Bachelor of Arts (International and Strategic Studies); Master of Strategic and Defence Studies); Bachelor of Arts (Southeast Asian Studies): Master of Arts (Southeast Asian Studies); Bachelor of Arts (History); Master of Arts (Malaysian History) and Master of Arts (Southeast Asian History) (2014- ).
Availability
- Emeritus Professor Robert Elson is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Academy of Humanities, Academy of Humanities
Research interests
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The modern and contemporary history of Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia.
The modern and contemporary history of Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia; maritime territoriality in the Indonesian seas after 1850; the history of secularism in modern Indonesia; Indonesian political thinking, leadership in Indonesia; changing identity in Indonesia; the social and economic history of Southeast Asia; social and economic change in nineteenth and twentieth century Java; colonialism and its impact in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia; the economic history of peasant production in Southeast Asia, 1800-1990.
Works
Search Professor Robert Elson’s works on UQ eSpace
2017
Book
Sovereignty and the sea: how Indonesia became an archipelagic state
Butcher, John G. and Elson, R. E. (2017). Sovereignty and the sea: how Indonesia became an archipelagic state. Singapore: National University of Singapore.
2013
Journal Article
Two failed attempts to Islamize the Indonesian constitution
Elson, R. E. (2013). Two failed attempts to Islamize the Indonesian constitution. Sojourn, 28 (3), 379-437. doi: 10.1355/sj28-3a
2013
Book Chapter
Engineering from within: Habibie the man and Indonesia's reformasi
Elson, Robert E. (2013). Engineering from within: Habibie the man and Indonesia's reformasi. Democracy take off? the B.J. Habibie period. (pp. 27-47) edited by Dewi Fortuna Anwar and Bridget Welsh. Indonesia: PT. Sinar Harapan Persada.
2012
Book Chapter
Problems of identity and legitimacy for Indonesia's place in the world
Elson, R. E. (2012). Problems of identity and legitimacy for Indonesia's place in the world. Indonesia rising: The repositioning of Asia's third giant. (pp. 170-185) edited by Anthony Reid. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
2012
Book Chapter
Absent at the creation: Islamism's belated, troubled engagement with early Indonesian nationalism
Elson, R. E. (2012). Absent at the creation: Islamism's belated, troubled engagement with early Indonesian nationalism. Anthony Reid and the study of the Southeast Asian past. (pp. 303-335) edited by Geoff Wade and Li Tana. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
2012
Book Chapter
(Indonesian) history and its uses: theory, lessons, activism and policy
Elson, Robert (2012). (Indonesian) history and its uses: theory, lessons, activism and policy. Knowing Indonesia: intersections of self, discipline and nation. (pp. 37-51) edited by Jemma Purdey. Victoria, Australia: Monash University Publishing.
2011
Journal Article
Why did Kartosuwiryo start shooting? An account of Dutch-Republican-Islamic forces interaction in West Java, 1945-1949
Elson, R. E. and Formichi, Chiara (2011). Why did Kartosuwiryo start shooting? An account of Dutch-Republican-Islamic forces interaction in West Java, 1945-1949. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 42 (3), 458-486. doi: 10.1017/S0022463411000361
2011
Journal Article
A note on the sources for the 1945 constitutional debates in Indonesia
Kusuma, A. B. and Elson, R. E. (2011). A note on the sources for the 1945 constitutional debates in Indonesia. Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania, 167 (2-3), 196-209. doi: 10.1163/22134379-90003589
2011
Journal Article
Indonesian exports, peasant agriculture and the world economy, 1850-2000: Economic structures in a Southeast Asian state. By Hiroyoshi Kano
Elson, R. E. (2011). Indonesian exports, peasant agriculture and the world economy, 1850-2000: Economic structures in a Southeast Asian state. By Hiroyoshi Kano. Agricultural History, 85 (1), 110-111. doi: 10.3098/ah.2011.85.1.105
2010
Journal Article
Nationalism, Islam, 'secularism', and the state in contemporary Indonesia
Elson, R. E. (2010). Nationalism, Islam, 'secularism', and the state in contemporary Indonesia. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 64 (3), 328-343. doi: 10.1080/10357711003736493
2009
Journal Article
Another look at the Jakarta Charter Controversy of 1945
Elson, R. E. (2009). Another look at the Jakarta Charter Controversy of 1945. Indonesia, 88, 105-130.
2009
Journal Article
Disunity, distance, disregard: The political failure of islamism in late colonial indonesia
Elson, Robert E. (2009). Disunity, distance, disregard: The political failure of islamism in late colonial indonesia. Studia Islamika, 16 (1), 1-60.
2008
Journal Article
Book review: Legitimizing Military Rule: Indonesian Armed Forces Ideology, 1958-2000. By Salim Said (Jakarta: Pustaka Sinar Harapan, 2006) and Soeharto’s Armed Forces: Problems of Civil Military Relations in Indonesia. By Salim Said
Elson, R. E. (2008). Book review: Legitimizing Military Rule: Indonesian Armed Forces Ideology, 1958-2000. By Salim Said (Jakarta: Pustaka Sinar Harapan, 2006) and Soeharto’s Armed Forces: Problems of Civil Military Relations in Indonesia. By Salim Said . Australian Journal of Politics and History, 54 (1), 164-165.
2008
Book
Suharto : A political biography
Elson, R. E. (2008). Suharto : A political biography. Cambridge, England, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
2008
Book Chapter
Sartono Kartodirdjo: Serious, profound, masterly
Elson, R. E. (2008). Sartono Kartodirdjo: Serious, profound, masterly. Sejarah Yang Memihak: Mengenang Sartono Kartodirdjo. (pp. 198-205) edited by M. Nursam, T. Baskara, S. J. Wardaya and A. W. Adam. Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Ombak bekerjasama dengan Rumah Budaya TeMBI.
2008
Book
The idea of Indonesia: Sejarah pemikiran dan garasan
Elson, R. E. (2008). The idea of Indonesia: Sejarah pemikiran dan garasan. Jakarta, Indonesia: Serambi.
2008
Book Chapter
Time, timing, and the historical moment in Suharto's politics
Elson, Robert E. (2008). Time, timing, and the historical moment in Suharto's politics. The inclusive regionalist: a festschrift dedicated to Jusuf Wanandi. (pp. x-x) edited by Hadi Soesastro and Clara Joewono. Jakarta, Indonesia: Center for Strategic and International Studies.
2008
Book
The idea of Indonesia: a history
Elson, R. E. (2008). The idea of Indonesia: a history. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
2007
Journal Article
Islam, Islamism, the Nation, and the Early Indonesian Nationalist Movement
Elson, R. E. (2007). Islam, Islamism, the Nation, and the Early Indonesian Nationalist Movement. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 1 (2), 231-266. doi: 10.15642/JIIS.2007.1.2.231-266
2007
Journal Article
Clifford Geertz, 1926-2006: Meaning, method, and Indonesian economic history
Elson, R. E. (2007). Clifford Geertz, 1926-2006: Meaning, method, and Indonesian economic history. Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, 43 (2), 251-263. doi: 10.1080/00074910701408081
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Emeritus Professor Robert Elson is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
A Political Biography of Sumitro Djojohadikusumo: Power and Influence in the Political Development of Modern Indonesia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Annie Pohlman
Completed supervision
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
The Asian Destiny of Australia
Principal Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
The American connection and Australian policy in Southeast Asia, 1945-1965
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Martin Crotty
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
The Islamic publication industry in modern Indonesia: Intellectual transmission, ideology, and the profit motive
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Peter Spearritt
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Transitional justice and the politics of pragmatism: addressing historical injustices and atrocities through truth commissions - perspectives from the South African TRC and the East Timorese CAVR
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Bonnell
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Master Philosophy
TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND SOUTH AFRICA: JUS AD BELLUM, JUS IN BELLO AND THE PROMOTION OF NATIONAL UNITY AND RECONCILIATION ACT (34) 1995
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Andrew Bonnell
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2012
Master Philosophy
Australia's Defence and Foreign Relations with Indonesia, 1997-2010
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Martin Crotty
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Negotiating Empires: "British" dragomans and changing identity in the 19th century Levant
Associate Advisor
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
How the Pathet Lao seized power in Laos in 1975
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Martin Stuart-Fox
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
Women and power in Burmese history
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Martin Stuart-Fox
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
'FRUITLESS AND FRIENDLESS': AUSTRALIA AND THE WEST NEW GUINEA DISPUTE, 1949-1962
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Clive Moore
Media
Enquiries
Contact Emeritus Professor Robert Elson directly for media enquiries about:
- Colonialism - South-East Asia
- Economic history - South-East Asia
- Government - Indonesia
- History - Indonesia
- History - South-East Asia
- Indonesia - history
- Indonesia - politics
- Java- history
- Leadership - Indonesia
- Politics - Indonesia
- South-East Asia - history and economics
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