Abstract
This chapter proposes that the issue of land reform contributed significantly to the mass killing of approximately 80,000 people in Bali in 1965–1966. Implemented across Indonesia from 1960, land reform, which placed limitations on land ownership and implemented systems of profit-sharing, caused significant conflict in Bali, where feudal systems of property ownership and inheritance were strong. During 1965–1966, those opposed to land reform used anti-PKI sentiments in order to settle scores and ensure their continued control over their land. Through oral-history research conducted throughout Bali, Sawita examines the pattern of killings in Bali in relation to land reform conflicts, and argues that land reform was one of the largest factors in determining who was targeted.
This chapter was translated from Indonesian to English by Jess Melvin. With thanks also to Jess Melvin, Erin Greaves and Kate McGregor for their assistance with this chapter.
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Sawita, R. (2018). The Connection Between Land Reform and the 1965–1966 Tragedy in Bali. In: McGregor, K., Melvin, J., Pohlman, A. (eds) The Indonesian Genocide of 1965. Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71455-4_5
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