Jim Siegel, Beyond Anthropology, Beyond Ben, Beyond Comparison in the Study of Indonesian Politics

Abstract: This article explores the diverse and distinctive ways in which James T. Siegel and his students have contributed to the development of the study of Indonesia and in particular the study of Indonesian politics. Beyond anthropology, the article suggests, the work of Siegel and his students has, in a critical departure from the writings of Clifford Geertz and a constructive dialogue with the work of Benedict Anderson, provided important original insights and understandings with regard to the trajectories of modern Acehnese and Indonesian history.