The introduction to this English translation of a selection from Van Vollenhoven's study of indigenous Indonesian law outlines the historical significance of his work, showing its background in the complex administrative and legal system of the Dutch East Indies, the trends in Dutch colonial legal and economic policy, and the development of adat law scholarship from the early 1900s onwards. The chapters chosen concentrate almost entirely on the adat law of some of the indigenous peoples of Indonesia.

The introduction to this English translation of a selection from Van Vollenhoven's study of indigenous Indonesian law outlines the historical significance of his work, showing its background in the complex administrative and legal system of the Dutch East Indies, the trends in Dutch colonial legal and economic policy, and the development of adat law scholarship from the early 1900s onwards. The chapters chosen concentrate almost entirely on the adat law of some of the indigenous peoples of Indonesia and are the following: Adat, adat law, native law; The elements of adat law; The study of adat law; Law areas; Aceh; The Minangkabau law area; Central and East Java, with Madura; The maintenance and development of Indonesian adat law; Epilogue. A list of publications on adat law by Van Vollenhoven has been added.

"The Dutch colonial power in Indonesia in the nineteenth century needed to clarify its understanding of the legal values and conventions of the peoples whom it claimed to rule. Dutch colonial lawyers tended to rationalize this legal culture, lumping together all kinds of indigenous legal customs from different areas as manifestations of adatrecht, or, customary law. The status of this legal system vis-a-vis Dutch colonial law was a source of continual depute and disagreement. The champions of adatrecht known as the Leiden School, with C. van Vollenhoven in the forefront, scored a victory around 1927 when adatrecht gained official recognition, though on the other hand it became the subject of mounting criticism. After World War II, the independent state of Indonesia paid lip service to adatrecht principles, but in practice treated it as irrelevant, or even an embarrassment."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This important resource provides detailed coverage of the growing significance of adat in Indonesian politics. It identifies its origins, the historical factors that have conditioned it and the reasons behind its recent blossoming.

This work is unique, since it is the first comprehensive bibliography on Indonesian Law listing materials in various languages, including Russian, Japanese and Chinese. The bibliography is divided into various fields of law and each chapter starts with an introduction on the related field. The growing (economic) importance of Indonesia and the increasing trade relations with this country call for an instrument on how to find the law in Indonesia. This bibliography will fill this gap as it includes all material on Indonesian law in a non-Indonesian language which has been published since 1949.