"Hefner describes brilliantly the Muslim's role in democratizing, if not civilizing, Indonesia. The work, long overdue, is significant... [Hefner] clearly knows his way around Indonesia and is fully aware of what it means to be an Indonesian."
Dicky Sofjan, Studies in Contemporary Islam "Robert Hefner's important book, Civil Islam, is the most detailed study of Islam in the Suharto Period to ... Read moreappear to date... Hefner writes with special sympathy on those influential currents in Indonesian Islam."
Martin Van Bruinessen, Times Literary Supplement "In this book, Robert W. Hefner ... argues ... that Islamic states and civil society are compatible, and he adduces considerable evidence from Indonesian political history ... to make his case. He makes an important contribution to our knowledge of the dynamics of contemporary Islam in Indonesia."
Richard C. Martin, The Journal of Asian Studies "What is interesting about the text is that despite his training as an anthropologist, Hefner draws on different disciplines such as history, political science and sociology to provide this major contribution to the literature of Indonesia. Anyone interested in the nature of democracy, for instance, should read the brilliant conclusion ... a powerful warning against civilizational intolerance in the modern world. The challenge of change and, specifically, democratic change within Indonesia and within an Islamic context provides larger meaning in a world so easily dominated by easy and simple assumptions. This text lucidly brings this point to life."
Kenneth Christie, International Affairs Show Less