Indonesia the state with the largest Muslim population in the world is in a process of
continuous societal transformation. From the perspective of Media and Communication Studies
recent political developments towards an increasingly consolidated democratic system are of
great interest. The comparison with Germany may seem unusual and asymmetrical. The countries
differ with regard to the religious and cultural practices and media and social developments
are neither intertwined nor similar at first glance. A closer look however reveals structural
similarities between Germany and Indonesia: dynamics and regressions of political
transformation under pressure from radical political movements hyper-modernization in parts of
the economies and social life-worlds of post-modern urbanization a heritage of genocides and
cultural struggles over the multi-ethnic and multi-religious fabrics of society. The book deals
with the role media play in the course of these political economic and cultural
transformations. Do they 'follow' or 'lead' the changes in political systems and societies?
What can countries learn from each other if they step outside the usual ethnocentric
comparisons and engage in a more intense global dialogue? The book is a groundbreaking
endeavour in comparative Media and Communication Studies and brings together well-known
researchers from hitherto largely separated academic communities.
