The History of Teaching Indonesian in the United States and Its Pedagogical Shift in the Late 20th Century

The history of teaching Indonesian in the United States has received limited scholarly attention, despite the field's existence for over eighty years. This study traces its development and identifies three main phases. The first phase began during World War II, when Indonesian was taught primarily to meet military needs through a structural and drill-based approach. In the 1960s and 1970s, instruction was restructured to support academic research, with teaching materials and classroom practices aimed at developing reading skills and preparing students for fieldwork. From the late twentieth century onward, Indonesian programs increasingly adopted communicative approaches influenced by broader trends in second-language education. More recently, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C., has expanded online BIPA (Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing) classes that highlight Indonesian culture and diplomatic goals. Using archival materials from SEASSI (Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute) and related institutions, along with oral history interviews with six individuals involved in these developments, the study demonstrates how geopolitical interests, academic orientations, and institutional priorities shaped Indonesian instruction across different periods. Overall, the article argues that these changes represent a significant pedagogical shift in how Indonesian has been taught in the United States.