The Contribution of Weberian Sociology to Studies of Southeast Asia
Author(s)
Wertheim, Wim F.
Abstract
Southeast Asian society can be analyzed using Max Weber’s methodology of sociology and economic history. In Indonesia, for instance, Hindu civilization was transmitted by a small group of influential Brahmans. Applying Weber’s concepts, the influential Brahmans can be considered the means of Indonesian princes to legitimize their rule. Weber’s concept of patrimonial bureaucracy is more evident in the analysis of a Javanese village and the monarchy that governed pre-colonial Java.
