The First Indonesian Womens’s Congress of 1928 (book review)

Title ; The First Indonesian Womens’s Congress of 1928.
By ; Translated & introduction by Susan Blackburn
Published : Monash University Press, Clayton (Australia). 2008.
Pages ; Paperback 245 pages but English half to 130.

Comment ; An excellent introduction and quick analysis followed by translation of number of actual speeches where in educated women of the time expressed outlook at a historic time when a new Indonesian national identity was beginning under Dutch colonial rule, in part brought about by enlightenment from Holland to recognize universal human rights. The Womens outlook was unity, communication and education wherein key issues of concern related to education, marriage, child rearing, supporting husbands and overall being recognized as equal to men. The same issues continue today. This would make a good text book as part of a curriculum for Women’s Studies, but no such University course exists in Indonesia today. The date of this Congress has been recognized as Mothers/Womens Day in Indonesia.