Edifices as conduit: Indonesian and foreign agencies in the production of post-independence buildings

As was the case with other newly independent countries throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Indonesian government initiated the creation of several large, nationally significant and symbolic modern buildings in Jakarta. Existing studies have described the relationship these buildings had with the political environment of Indonesia under President Ahmad Sukarno. They reveal that the buildings represent the government's attempt to create a unified national identity while positioning Indonesia among other nations as an equal. This thesis examines the creation of four of these buildings, namely, the Istiqlal Mosque, the National Monument, the Sports Venue for the Fourth Asian Games and Hotel Indonesia. Unlike previous studies, this thesis closely examines the role played by a variety of agencies, both local and foreign, in financing the construction of these buildings and in supplying expertise, materials and labour. It uncovers the interests and motivations that drew international governments and companies to the building projects and the specific contributions they made. Beyond this, the thesis reveals the broader implications of those who contributed to the projects including their ability to leverage their contributions to advance political and commercial interests in Indonesia. The thesis argues that these projects need to be understood as 'conduits' for political and commercial interests that intertwine Indonesia's domestic affairs with those of international governments and companies. To help understand the interests and motivations that intersected in and around the four building projects, the thesis considers Stephen Rosskamm Shalom's studies of the Philippines after the Second World War and his arguments pertaining to the formation of a neo-colonial relationship that emerged between the Philippines and the United States. Understanding key differences, this thesis charts a parallel complex of relationships that were critical to the industrial rehabilitation and growth of Indonesia after the Second World War and the War of Independence, and which coalesced around the creation of its important post-war edifices.