Violence

This chapter explores the twists and turns of activist narratives of state violence, trauma, and counter-violence over ten years of Reform politics. As student movements evolved toward greater militancy and spectacular violence after the fall of Suharto, debates over student morality and violence increased. The chapter contextualizes provocative Reform era student practices by looking at the state interventions they have sparked. Linking student experiences of state violence and counterviolence, the chapter analyzes the connections and tensions between the student movement’s call for solidarity and the state’s call for discipline and order.