Indonesia - Culture Smart! : The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture

Don’t just see the sights—get to know the people.

Indonesia, stretching across three time zones and situated on one of the world s great maritime trade routes, has a rich and varied culture.

Culture Smart! Indonesia describes the many different cultural backgrounds that make up this rainbow nation, helping you to better understand the values that underpin its diverse society. It reveals how modern Indonesians view themselves and go about their daily lives, and gives advice on how to navigate unfamiliar situations. Armed with essential cultural information and tips on effective communication, readers are better placed to have a more meaningful and successful experience in this fascinating country.

Have a richer and more meaningful experience abroad through a better understanding of the local culture. Chapters on history, values, attitudes, and traditions will help you to better understand your hosts, while tips on etiquette and communicating will help you to navigate unfamiliar situations and avoid faux pas.

Graham Saunders has a Ph.D. in East Asian studies from the University of Hull, England. An Australian by birth, he spent twenty-eight years teaching in East Malaysia and Brunei, and made numerous visits to the countries of the region, including Indonesia. He then taught in Cyprus for five years before he and his wife, Anne, settled in England near York. After some part-time university lecturing he retired to run a business specializing in books on Southeast Asia. He is the author of many books and articles on the history of Borneo and Southeast Asia.

Jessica Jemalem Ginting is an Indonesian writer and translator from Jakarta. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Bristol in the UK, and an M.A. in Publishing at University College, London. Her debut poetry collection, Moon Petals, was published and launched at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in 2017, and her poems have featured in publications such as the leading Southeast Asian journal Anak Sastra and the Bristol Poetry Anthology. In 2018 she translated the non-fiction book on traditional Indonesian textiles, Nusawastra Silang Budaya. More recently, she has created the sci-fi comic series ROSANA!, set in the culturally diverse world of the Indonesian archipelago.