Indonesian Batik: Processes, Patterns, and Places.

by Sylvia Fraser-Lu
Review by: Gary N. Gartenberg
The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Feb., 1988), pp. 194-195
Published by: Association for Asian Studies
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194 THE JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES

the establishment of a "special relationship"with (hegemonyover)Laos and Cam-

bodia. For China, ratification ofthisrelationship could onlymeantrouble.It would
make an independent-minded Vietnamon China's southernbordermuch too pow-
erful;and, equallyunpalatable,it would appearto linkVietnamto the USSR. Only
Moscow had the wherewithal to financeVietnam'sdominance.
Althoughunattractive allies becauseoftheirradicaldomesticpolicies,Pol Pot's
KhmerRouge met a majorcriterionforChinesebacking:theywereviscerallyanti-
Vietnamese.Vietnam'sdecisionto eliminatethe KhmerRouge, probablyreachedin
mid-1978, was takenas an anti-Chinese measure,forcingVietnamto strikea Faustian
bargainwith the Soviets-economic dependencein exchangeforair and naval base
facilitiesand politicalloyalty.In orderto escapetherestoration oftraditionalChinese
dominance,Vietnamaccepteda newsuperior-subordinate withMoscow.
relationship
And, as Duikercorrectly notes,theoutcomeforChinawas equallyunpalatable:"the
introduction of Sovietforceson its vulnerablesouthernflank"(p. 93).
In theensuingyears,theSino-Vietnamese conflicthas centeredon theresolution
of who controlsCambodia. Whereasboth China and ASEAN appearreconciledto
Vietnamesedominancein Laos (perhapsbecause the Pathet Lao had always been
dependenton theVietminh),Cambodiahas historically triedto remainindependent
ofitsneighbors.Boththemilitary and diplomaticsituationsseemstalemated.Khmer
resistanceforcesoperatethroughoutCambodia, althoughtheydo not have the ca-
pabilityof topplingVietnam'sclientgovernment.Hanoi pledges to withdrawits
forcesby 1990, but it has expresseda caveatif the KhmerRouge are still a threat.
Vietnamcountson the passage of time to lead a reluctantASEAN and China to
acceptthe statusquo, especiallyif Hanoi withdrawsmostof its forces.ASEAN be-
lievesthatfreeelectionsunderUnitedNationssupervision would restoreCambodia's
neutrality, thus removing Vietnamese controland satisfyingboth Thai and Chinese
securitygoals. Underlyingpoliticalquestionsin the China-Vietnamrelationship re-
mainunanswered.Can thestrongnationalistsentiments ofeachacceptthelegitimacy
of the other'ssecurityview?For Vietnam,this meansno renewedsubordinationto
China. For China, it meansno securityties betweenborderstatesand China's ad-
versaries.
SHELDON W. SIMON
ArizonaStateUniversity

Indonesian
Batik: Processes,
Patterns,
and Places. By SYLVIA FRASER-LU.
Singapore:OxfordUniversity Press, 1986. 108 pp.

This workis a briefintroductionand guide to thelivingtraditionofbatiktextile

manufacture in Indonesia.The art of batik makingfindsits most refinedtechnical
and aestheticexpressionin Indonesia,particularly on the islandofJava. There, the
motifsthatdecoratewax-resist dyedtextilesreflectthe diverseculturehistoryofthe
Indonesianarchipelago.Indian, Chinese, Arabian,and European designs, among
others,as well as indigenousIndonesianmotifs,havelong been depictedon Javanese
batik.
IndonesianBatik:Processes, andPlacesis a bookdesignedforgeneralreaders
Patterns,
who want to becomeacquaintedwith the renownedbatik textiletraditionof Indo-
nesia. This workis not originalin the senseof presentingfreshinformation or for-
mulationsof new theories,but it is a solid piece of ethnographiccompilation.The
textfocusesalmostentirelyon the batik traditionofJava, by farthe most prolific

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 BOOK REVIEWS-SOUTHEAST ASIA 195

regionof batik productionin Indonesia.It discussesthe historyof batik making,

processesof manufacture, aestheticsand design,traditionalclothing,and centersof
production.The authorshowsherselfto be well versedin the practicaltechniques
of batik makingin Indonesiaas well as in the historyand contemporary natureof
thisart form.Many beautifuland instructive photographsand illustrations enliven
the text. Unfortunately thereare no detailedmaps.
The conclusiondiscussesthethreatto thecontemporary batikindustry posed by
more cheaplyproducedsilk-screenedfabrics.But Fraser-Lustates that batik still
maintainsa strongpositionof culturalimportanceas a sourceand symbolof Indo-
nesiantraditionand ethnicpride.
Indonesian Batik: Processes,
Places,and Patternsis by no means the last word on
Javanesebatik. The information providedin the textis too generaland abbreviated
to meet the demandsof textileexpertsor collectors.It is nonethelessan excellent
introduction to the splendidbatiktextilesof Indonesia.This book will be valuable
to travelerswishingto seek out centersof batikproductionor the ateliersof some
ofIndonesia'sfinestcontemporary batikdesigners.IndonesianBatik:Processes,
Patterns,
and Placesis informative,well organized,concise,and attractiveand servesitspurpose
well.
GARY N. GARTENBERG
ofCalifornia,Berkeley
University

UnitedStates-ThailandRelations. Edited by KARL D. JACKSON and WI-

WAT MUNGKANDI. ResearchPapersand Policy Studies 20. Berkeley:
Universityof California,Instituteof East Asian Studies, 1986. 332 pp.
$20.00 (paper).

TheUnited Statesand Thailand:AllianceDynamics,1950-1985. By R. SEAN

RANDOLPH. ResearchPapersandPolicyStudies12. Berkeley:University
of California,Instituteof East Asian Studies, 1986. 245 pp. $15.00
(paper).

The Instituteof East Asian Studiesat Berkeley,the AmericanStudiesProgram

ofChulalongkorn Bangkok,and The Asia Foundationsponsoredthe first
University,
United States-ThailandBilateralForum,in March 1985 at the Universityof Cali-
fornia.The conference papersconstitutethe firstof the two books consideredhere,
UnitedStates-Thailand Relations.Its contributors representthe Thai and American
academicand foreign-service establishment.
KarlJacksonand Wiwat Mungkandihaveorganizedthetwenty-two papersinto
six categories:historyand culture;economics,science,and technology;tradeand
investment; politicsand security(ASEAN, theUnitedStates,and Indochina);Thai-
land and the greatpowers;and futureprospects.The organizationis cogent, but
thereis no attemptto providean integrating framework, to point out patternsor
trends,or to assessthe strengthsand weaknessesofpapers.Each essaystandsalone,
withno reference to theothersor to a particularissueor proposition.This, together
with the generalagreementabout the "parallelinterests"of Thais and Americans,
reducesthe usefulnessof the volume.
The volume does not representthe new breedof Thai and Americanpolitical
scientists,who suggestthat the Thai-U.S. relationshiphas been one of economic
dependenceand exploitation.The recentAmericanFarmAct protectionist legislation

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