Kretek Capitalism, Making; Marketing; and Consuming Clove Cigarettes in Indonesia

Author

Welker; Marina

Year

2024

Publisher

University of California Press

Language

English

Pages

ISBN

978-0-52039-968-6

Link

Last Update

10-Feb-2026

Keywords

Anthropology ; Asian Studies ; Agriculture ; Political Science

Description

Causing harm and death when used as intended, the cigarette is no ordinary commodity.¹ The kretek, in turn, is no ordinary cigarette.

The Indonesian government makes a simple distinction between kretek and “white cigarettes” (rokok putih): kretek tobacco filler contains cloves, while white tobacco filler does not. The difference is also communicated through product packaging; kretek must be sold in packs of twelve or sixteen and white cigarettes in packs of twenty, and three-letter acronyms on the side of Indonesian cigarette packs indicate whether they are kretek or white (sigaret kretek or sigaret putih) and hand rolled or machine rolled...