Witch-Hunt and Conspiracy

This book brings unique insight and prize-winning analysis to an extraordinary story - that of a witch-hunt and ninja craze that swept a region of Java, Indonesia, in 1998. When neighbours, family members, and friends believed that one among them was a sorcerer, this suspicion would sometimes culminate in the death of the suspect. In 1998, these sporadic killings turned into an outbreak of violence. Muslim organisations attributed the escalation of these killings to political conspirators, alleging that squads of ninjas were responsible. A paramilitary group (Banser NU) began preparing and training for an onslaught of further violence while anxious residents throughout East Java established road-side guards. Dozens of suspected ninjas were caught and some were tortured and killed. Using first-hand accounts, Herriman provides a detailed context and history of these events and analyses their development in terms of the interplay of local culture and dynamics (gossip, suspicion of sorcerers, violence) and national institutions (the state, political parties, NGOs and the press).