Kartini, Raden Adjeng

Born Apr. 21, 1879, in the village of Mayong, Central Java; died Sept. 17, 1904, in the city of Rembang. Indonesian reformer.

Kartini was the daughter of the regent of Japara in Java. Fluent in Dutch, she studied the literature of this language, including several works by Dutch socialists. She spoke out against old feudal customs and strove for the emancipation of women. Kartini considered education to be the primary means by which women could be emancipated and the Indonesian people could progress. She protested the oppression of the Indonesians by the Dutch colonizers. Although she promoted the adoption of the progressive European culture, she also stressed the need for Indonesians to value their own cultural heritage. Kartini was a forerunner of the organized national liberation movement, whose membership was greatly influenced by her ideas.