Published: July 11, 2023

July 11 - 15, 2023 (Virtual)

The third annual听AIFIS-MSU Conference on Indonesian Studies听continues to highlight and celebrate the growing and evolving academic study of Indonesia. The conference aims to expand research dissemination and collaboration by connecting Indonesian scholars with international colleagues in a bilingual and virtual format.

The Promises and Dilemmas of Indonesia

This year鈥檚 conference theme, 鈥淭he Promises and Dilemmas of Indonesia,鈥� seeks to inspire reflection on Indonesia鈥檚 successes, discontents, and efforts to rework, reinterpret, and negotiate all aspects of civic, legal, and cultural living, against and in light of Indonesia鈥檚 internal fractures and frictions and its important profile and positionality globally and in the Asia-Pacific region. The conference seeks to explore and investigate a broad range of topics, including听kebangsaan, in its diverse and competing meanings,听adat听and law, gender and race, environment and climate change, business, politics, and religion, and Indonesia鈥檚 place in the world. Indonesia continues to grapple with internal tensions and regresses as she also reaps the rewards of developmental leaps and resilience amidst global uncertainties and adverse challenges from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting geopolitical relations, and economic volatility. The Conference Program Committee selected a multidimensional theme for our conference, one which is at once capacious enough to welcome and allow for an array of scholars working in/on/from Indonesia to reflect the specificity of Indonesian Studies in our current global climate.

Please join our conference community as we present research and reflections on the ways scholars of Indonesia historicize the country鈥檚 past, navigate current times, and explore imaginative futures and possibilities, all while contributing to the richness of the community鈥檚 collective legal and ethical-epistemological frameworks.

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If you are already registered, you may follow this听Direct Link to the Conference Platform.听

Highlights include:
200+ paper presentations听representing a diverse range of disciplines and topics within Indonesian Studies. You can browse the听Full Schedule Here.

This year we are honored to welcome to the conference听Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Rosan Roeslani,听and听Education Attache, Dr. Diah Ayu Maharani,听from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington D.C. Our esteemed guests will provide remarks during the closing ceremony of the conference on Saturday, July 15, 2023 (US and Indonesia).

We are excited to welcome three distinguished keynote speakers to the conference:

Lorraine Aragon听(Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) speaking on the subject of听听Her talk will reflect on two decades of researching how the multiplicity of regional arts as they are practiced across Indonesia inform more nuanced understandings of intellectual property than are typically framed in international debates and national regulations. The session will be moderated by听Sandra Sardjono(President and Founder, Tracing Patterns Foundation).

Wening Udasmoro听(Professor of Literature and Gender, Universitas Gadjah Mada) will share empowering stories from her research on听听Her keynote session will draw attention to local efforts to sustain peace in regions with a history of religious and ethnic conflict and highlight how hegemonic masculinity associated with violent practices are shifting towards more non-violent hegemonic forms of masculinity among Ambonese youth 20 years post-conflict. The session will be moderated by听Izak Y.M. Lattu(Professor of Theology and Sociology of Religion, Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana).

Todung Mulya Lubis听(Former Ambassador and Professor of Law, The University of Melbourne) will discuss the subject of听听With the enactment of a new penal code in Indonesia, this keynote will explore the history of law reform in Indonesia to address challenges the nation has in replacing colonial laws, and the implications this process has had within Indonesia鈥檚 new legal system and global positionality moving forward. The session will be moderated by听Sulistyowati Irianto听(Professor of Anthropology of Law, Universitas Indonesia).

The plenary program will also include the following听special sessions and film screening:

听听presents a moving account of the daily lives and citizenship struggles of Indonesians of Chinese descent in Yogyakarta. This film explores the reality of social citizenship for Chinese Indonesians, and examines how and why at times Chinese Indonesians come to be treated as less-than-equal citizens. The film is the seventh installation in the听听film series created in collaboration between the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) Graduate School at Gadjah Mada University; the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University; and WatchDoc Indonesia, with the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation. The screening will be followed by a conversation with filmmakers听Dandhy Laksonoand听Muhamad Sridipo听(WatchDoc), film researcher听Samsul Maarif听(Universitas Gadjah Mada), executive producers听Zainal Abidin Bagir(Universitas Gadjah Mada) and听Robert Hefner听(Boston University), and moderated with a response by听Ariel Heryanto听(Monash University).

听will bring together a group of engaged scholars and movement leaders to discuss the ways in which Indonesian nationalism articulates with West Papuan lives and sovereignty. The session will feature invited speakers听Camellia Webb-Gannon听(University of Wollongong Australia),听Ronny Kareni听(Rize of the Morning Star),听Hatib Kadir听(Universitas Brawijaya),听Jenny Munro听(University of Queensland),听Elvira Rumkabu听(Universitas Cenderawasih) and moderated by听Timothy Daniels听(Hofstra University).

听Anticipating an election cycle in Indonesia next year, this session will feature a panel of political science experts to offer insights, analysis and prediction results along with possible consequences to the future of Indonesia鈥檚 domestic political dynamics as well as Indonesia鈥檚 position in the global affairs. Panelists include听Tom Pepinsky(Cornell University),听Eunsook Jung听(University of Wisconsin-Madison),听Dewi Fortuna Anwar听(National Research and Innovation Agency, BRIN),听Djayadi Hanan听(Universitas Islam International Indonesia and Lembaga Survei Indonesia), and听Made Supriatma听(Joyo News and ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute).

Please visit the听听or听听for more information. If you have any questions, please contact the organizing committee at听conference@aifis.org听or听asiansc@msu.edu. We strive to welcome all to the virtual conference. Please contact us if you experience any financial barriers to accessing the event.

Sampai ketemu! See you then!

Co-Sponsored by the Center for Asian Studies
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