From teacher to revolutionary: Tan Malaka’s pedagogical strategy for Indonesia’s liberation in 1919-1943

Abstract

Scholars have extensively examined Tan Malaka’s role in political, ideological, and revolutionary movements aimed at liberating the Indonesian people from colonial domination and global capitalism. However, the pedagogical dimension of Tan Malaka’s thought—particularly its function as an integral component of his broader project of political and national liberation—has received limited scholarly attention. Using historical methods through a critical reading of Tan Malaka’s major intellectual works, this study reconstructs how his pedagogical experiences shaped his political worldview and strategic approach to Indonesia’s independence struggle. The analysis draws on key concepts from Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy to examine Tan Malaka’s educational strategies, as well as Antonio Gramsci’s ideas of cultural hegemony and organic intellectuals to position him as a politician-educator who cultivated mass consciousness within the framework of national struggle. The findings reveal that Tan Malaka’s pedagogical experience was not merely a professional background, but a foundational element that informed his political vision, emphasizing class consciousness and education as a strategic instrument for self-reliant national liberation. In works ranging from Naar de Republiek Indonesia to Madilog, Tan Malaka articulated revolutionary ideas closely intertwined with popular education and intellectual emancipation. This study broadens Tan Malaka’s historiography by highlighting his dual role as a revolutionary thinker and pedagogue.