Book reviews
Munro, Jenny. 2018. Dreams Made Small. The Education of Papuan Highlanders in Indonesia. Oxford, New York: Berghahn Books. 216 pp. Hb.: $120.00/£85.00. ISBN: 9781785336843.
Education in Indonesia is greatly valued; it is considered to be the basis of a better life. For people who live in Papua, graduating school and stepping forward to go to university is a milestone. Without a good education, their chances of finding a job in the city are close to zero, and Indonesians from other islands think less of them, which again influences their quality of life. In her book, Jenny Munro describes in detail the struggle that Dani of the Central Highlands in West Papua undergo to achieve their education goals. Dreams Made Small might change the way we perceive Indonesians as a whole nation because the book illustrates the gap between the people of Papua and Indonesians from other parts of Indonesia; candidly, it shows the attitudes of both camps, and it does not only concern education. In her seven chapters, Munro takes us on a journey from West Papua to North Sulawesi and back again painting a full picture for us.
The book starts with a chapter that is dedicated to the lifestyle in Wamena via the stories of a few families, a glimpse of their everyday life, living conditions, employment, and where education and attitudes towards it on the part of people of different ages fit. The chapter has a short introduction on the history of education in Wamena, Papua, which helps to explain the life of students in North Sulawesi later in the book. Also in this chapter, the story of the role of religion starts to be revealed with the beginning of education in Wamena, and it continues throughout the book since the values of religion are something that Dani make the basis for their behaviour and even their motivation. The author describes several situations and adds Dani thoughts and explanations of the situations and relationships with Indonesians; she continues this approach in other chapters, bringing the stories to life and involving the reader even more. Since the research concentrates on Dani and their education, it lacks Indonesian opinions; for that, some additional research would be necessary.
In the central part of the book, the Dani dream of higher education is described in detail, starting with the second chapter, in which the author explains the education possibilities for Dani students and the conditions in which they live, not only physical but also social, such as in dorms and the inner rules that come with living together, money issues, the meaning of church, and how all of this is seen by Indonesians.
As mentioned, Jenny Munro has collected many stories from Dani students, and they are published in the book; some of the most colourful are in the third chapter, drawing the reader's attention not only to education but also politics, the conflicts in Papua and how they influence Dani students abroad without the students being involved in them. This chapter shares the worst of Dani feelings, fear, shame, being misunderstood and considered less not only through these political situations but also everyday routines, such as going to classes and socialising with Indonesians on campus.
The struggles of studies are further examined in the chapter titled Discipline is Important, in which Munro writes about the everyday activities at the university. This is where the students' idea of "good human resources" is explained, and examples are
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given; this is something that every Dani student wants to fulfil; to do so, higher education is required. Different problems Dani are facing at the campus are portrayed with the help of several students describing their experiences. To continue the topics from the previous chapter, there are more examples of racialisation on campus, how Dani students are treated by their lecturers and other university staff, stories about their skin colour and hair that are compared to the visual ideal of Indonesians. The problem that everyone is aware of in Indonesia is corruption, and several examples are given of how money helps or disrupts studies and what Dani students have to go through to meet the expectations of payments.
Just like any other Asian culture, for Papuans, it is essential to be part of a group, since Indonesians do not accept them in their groups, Papuans form their own, and the book examines the social world and belonging to a group. The author writes about what types of organisations are formed and what are the roles for these organisations for individuals and for the students from Papua. She explains the differences between different student organisations and illustrates them with stories of students who recount the skills they have achieved while participating or the importance of organisations for the young students who have come to North Sulawesi.
The story of socialisation is continued with more private stories. Munro details how Indonesians see Papua students and the relations between males and females, including the types of relationships among Dani students, what is considered acceptable and what is not, and how these relationships, including romantic ones, influence education.
The last part of the book takes us back to Papua to show the lives of graduates back home. The author writes about the influence graduates have, whether it meet the students' expectations, the jobs they acquire, and how they are seen by other Dani.
This book is the honest story of Dani students, whichaccurately illustrates their steps towards education and fulfilling dreams of improving life quality back at home. It is a great resource for the reader to understand the position of the Papua people in Indonesia.
ASNATE MOROZOVA University of Latvia (Latvia)
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