Title: Tortured Body, Betrayed Heart: State violence in the narratives of ex-"Communist" Indonesian political prisonersSubmitted by: Budiawan, National University of SingaporeThe fall of Suharto has enabled ex-"Communist" political prisoners to represent themselves publicly. Many view the self-representation could turn into a "historical revenge". However, by exploring how they narrate their memories of violence when they were imprisoned, this paper argues that such an apprehension is illusory rather than real. It is not because of the "success" of the "New Order" state to "re-educate" them. This lies upon the very effects of the tortures they experienced and/or witnessed during their imprisonment. Beyond the Baconian perspective, this paper suggests that torture should be grasped not just as a technique of "discovering" the truth, but also as a way of de-concentrating the sense of hatred caused by the infliction of pain, by which the subjects attempt to be established under the regime of control. Return to Abstracts menuCarol Burnett Phone: 61 - 3 - 9349 1899 Email: c.burnett@asialink.unimelb.edu.au
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