Economic nationalism as a quest for liberation: the anti-colonial roots of Indonesian IPE and their persistence

This article revisits economic nationalism through the lens of postcolonial political thought, examining its role not simply as a developmental strategy but as a liberatory project grounded in anti-colonial struggle. Focusing on the Indonesian case, it foregrounds the contributions of three foundational thinkers, Sukarno, Tan Malaka, and Hatta, whose political-economic visions articulated distinct yet interconnected understandings of economic nationalism. Sukarno positioned economic nationalism within a global anti-imperialist movement centered on solidarity among the oppressed and the transformation of racialized hierarchies. Tan Malaka framed economic sovereignty as inseparable from revolutionary struggle, advancing ekonomi berjuang (struggling economy) as a means of achieving national control over production and resources. Hatta promoted ekonomi kerakyatan (people’s economy) as a model of domestic reconstruction grounded in cooperative development and cultural practices of mutual aid. Situating these thinkers alongside cognate post- and anti-colonial traditions in International Political Economy (IPE), particularly W.E.B. Du Bois’ analysis of the global color line and Samir Amin’s concept of delinking, the article shows how Indonesian thought articulated themes that resonate strongly with contemporary decolonial IPE. It further demonstrates how these intellectual traditions continue to inform contemporary policies, including nickel downstreaming and the promotion of the Islamic economy.