Review by Choice Review
In this clear account of changing forms of identity in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, Kipp combines an ethnographic account of one society, the Karo, with a theoretical analysis of how state-society interactions shape ideas of ethnic and religious identity. The scholarship is superb and the overviews of current comparative literature make the book highly accessible to students and teachers as well as to experts on the topic or area. Kipp demonstrates that the idea of a "Karo people" emerged from the encounter of Karo groups with colonial authorities. She then shows how, since Indonesian independence, Karo have become increasingly differentiated by religion (Islam, Prostestant, or neither), by class, and by location in village, town, or city. Karo have created a public sphere of ethnic discourse and relegated religion to a private sphere, making it easier for them to continue social relationships across religions. But the kinship ties and ethnic associations designed to foster Karo solidarity have themselves been cross-cut by class differences, leaving their identities "dissociated." Undergraduates and above. J. R. Bowen; Washington University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
