Indonesia Council Digest - September 2022
It was great to see so many of you at the information and sharing session with BRIN recently. Please accept my apologies if we couldn’t get to your question – it was a pretty packed session! One of the things we learnt is that BRIN is planning to release an information booklet within the next 6 months, so hopefully that will provide some more guidance for those conducting research in and on Indonesia. We’d like to organise a follow-up session with our BRIN colleagues in early 2023, so will let you know about that once it is confirmed. In the meantime, if you missed the event or would like to go back and listen to it a second time, you can do so here (plus the slides too). Thanks to our colleagues at Monash for getting these links up. It’s on Vimeo only for the time being but we are working to get it up on YouTube too so those of you in Indonesia can also access it.
The other big news this month is about the Indonesian Council Open Conference. We mentioned last month that it will be co-hosted by the University of Sydney and Western Sydney University in September 2023, and it is a great pleasure to be able to share more information about it in this month’s Digest. The call for papers is officially open!
And in breaking news… we’d also like to extend our warm congratulations to the two new DECRA fellows in our community!! Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (University of Sydney) has been awarded funding for her project on the politics of tobacco policy in Indonesia. And Dr Annisa Beta (University of Melbourne) has been awarded funding for her project on digital citizenship and girls’ gender empowerment in Indonesia. With a success rate of just 15%, the DECRA scheme is highly competitive and the success of these two applications is to be celebrated!
Thanks for your feedback and emails this month, and please keep sending them through!
Salam, Natali
iclistdata@gmail.com
Indonesia Council Open Conference
Sydney, 26-27 September 2023
The Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney and Humanitarian and Development Studies at Western Sydney University are proud to host the Indonesia Council Open Conference 2023. This conference brings together academics and postgraduate researchers from across the disciplines with an interest in Indonesia, and is open to scholars, students and community members interested in engaging with cutting-edge research.
The theme for ICOC 2023 isIndonesia 25 Years On. In 2023, we mark a quarter-century of Indonesia’s abrupt rejection of authoritarianism following the resignation of Suharto in May 1998 after millions took to the streets in protest against the economic and social chaos that accompanied the Asian financial crisis of the previous year. But what does Indonesia look like now?
The organisers invite abstract submissions from any disciplines for individual papers, panels and roundtable discussions that reflect on one or more of the myriad facets of life in today’s Indonesia, how Indonesia got there, and where it might go next.
Key dates:
Call for Papers closes: 15 February 2023
Applications for the Postgraduate Workshop close: 15 February 2023
Notification of acceptance: 1 March 2023
Registrations open: 1 March 2023
Deadline for confirmation of acceptance: 31 May 2023
Deadline for speaker registration: 31 May 2023
Deadline for non-speaker registration: 31 August 2023
Deadline to register for the optional food and culture trip: 31 August 2023
Postgraduate Workshop: 25 September 2023 (morning only)
Optional food and culture trip: 25 September 2023 (afternoon only)
Conference: 26–27 September 2023
For more information—including the full list of themes, information about the PG Workshop, and to register for the food and cultural trip!—please visit the (mouth-watering) conference webpage.
My big thanks to co-convenors Professor Michele Ford and Associate Professor Zulfan Tadjoeddin for getting us organised so far in advance!
What's happening...
Tony and Yohanni Johns Inaugural Lecture
The Inaugural Tony and Yohanni Johns lecture, hosted by the ANU Indonesia Institute, will be held in Canberra on Thursday 29 September (in-person only). The speaker is Greg Fealy, emeritus professor in the Department of Political and Social Change, who will be looking at Islamic life and every day religious experiences in Indonesia. For more details and to register, click here.
No health without mental health!
World Mental Health Day celebratory online event co-hosted by the ANU Indonesia Institute and the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, the University of Sydney; featuring the launch of the new film It takes a village directed by Dra Ninik Supartini and a launch of Dr Nova Riyanti Yusuf's recent book on suicide. 10 October 2022, 1-3pm AEDT, 9-11am WIB.
Jobsssss
The University of New England has created a three year position in the Indonesian program, focused on promotion and curriculum development. More details and how to apply here.
Research Assistant/Research Associate at the Centre for Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. More details.
Other cool stuff
The 2022 ReelOzInd! Short Film Festival will run from 22 October–23 December 2022, with the theme “suara/voice.” Check out the Festival Trailer, and get in touch with the organisers if you’re keen to host a pop-up.
A new drama series, Bali 2002, is coming out this month on Stan. We’ve heard lots of good things about the depth of cultural consultation that has gone on behind the scenes (and are excited to see some of our PhD friends stepping in to act as forensic cops and the like!). Get a glimpse of the trailer here.
If podcasts are your thing, there’s a bunch on the New Books in Southeast Asian Studies Network, hosted by Michele Ford, that you might want to catch up on: Elisabeth Kramer; Ed Aspinall and Ward Berenschot; and David Reeve.
Publications
Chandra Kusuma—alumna of UQ and currently working for the Indonesia Ministry of Finance, while also being a Sessional Lecturer at the Indonesian State College of Accountancy (PKN-STAN)—has just published this new book on The Rise of the Indonesian Financial Service Authority with Palgrave MacMillan. Chandra argues that the emergence of the Indonesian FSA has resulted in domestic implementation gaps, and highlights how the ‘independent and free’ status of the Indonesian FSA has stymied financial liberalisation. Congratulations and thanks for sharing with us, Chandra.
Hot on the heels of David Reeve’s new book on Onghokham comes this fabulous review (complete with charming photo of baby DR with Onghokham) There’s also this glowing review by Julia Suryakusuma in The Jakarta Post (premium access only), which concludes “For me, Ong and Reeve are inspirations: for their scholarship, their dedication to their craft, and their commitment to the truth.” Selamat!
Jarrah Sastrawan – last month’s featured member – has published a new article, ‘Portents of Power: Natural Disasters throughout Indonesian History,’ which looks at how disaster was normalised through augury, rebuilding & restoration in 8th-12th century Bali and Java. Jarrah's article is part of a special volume on 'Disaster in Indonesia', edited by Susie Protschky. This is the first interdisciplinary volume of scholarship dedicated to environmental disasters and pandemics in Indonesia. Big congrats to all involved on such a fascinating collection of articles.
In the latest episode of Talking Indonesia, Dr Jacqui Baker talks to Andy Yentriyani, the head of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), who takes us behind the scenes of the 12-year battle to get the law passed. What does this law achieve for victims of sexual violence? How does an independent women’s organisation like Komnas Perempuan build alliances for change? How does it wrestle with the perennial problem of law enforcement? Listen here.
Vale Emeritus Professor Gavin Jones
We were saddened to hear of the passing of Gavin W Jones last month in Perth. Gavin was a Professor and Research Leader of ARI's Changing Family in Asia cluster from 2022 to 2013. After his retirement in 2014, he continued his research on demography and population studies as Emeritus Professor at ANU. We send our condolences to his family and loved ones.
Terry Hull has written a tribute of the late Gavin Jones' contribution to ANU Indonesian studies on our website.
Vale Professor Azyumardi Azra
Much loved scholar of Islam and prominent public intellectual Azyumardi Azra died suddenly on 18 September. Jamhari Makruf wrote about the sleepless and inspirational intellectual who transformed Islamic education. We send our condolences to his family and loved ones.