with contributions from South America, Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia
The legacies of Colonialism are far-reaching and long lasting. Scholars and historians have noted that many of today‘s conflicts are the direct result of colonialism; processes of decolonization did not end with the withdrawal of empires from occupied territories and the creation of new nation states.
The recent academic discipline of Postcolonial Studies has revealed the limits of the political ‘decolonization‘ process by highlighting the persistence or reproduction of Western systems of knowledge, which often marginalise the non-Western world. In particular, Postcolonial Studies has questioned the basic assumptions of modernity, including ideas of progress and development, while encouraging the search for non-Eurocentric, non-corporate and more social ethics.
Although calls to facilitate more South-South exchanges between previously colonized countries go back to the Konferensi Asia-Afrika (1955) there is still much that could be done. Facilitating dialogue in the cultural field between actors from different Global South contexts is essential for more intellectual and artistic cooperation. This applies especially for Southeast Asia where Postcolonial discourse seems to be less developed than in other regions.
The public forum “Postcolonial Perspectives from the Global South” brings together curators, sociologists and historians from South America, Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. They will explore the various trajectories of modernity as understood and experienced from a range of philosophical, cultural, and historical perspectives. The presentations will not only examine Eurocentric claims of universality but also look in-depth at perspectives that focus on global particularism and cultural relativism.
24 January
2 - 3.45 PM
Panel 1 Postcolonial Perspectives from Southeast Asia
Speaker:
Chua Beng Huat (Singapore)
Professor of Sociology, National University of Singapore
Respondent:
Andi Achdian (Indonesia)
Lecturer, Managing Editor of Journal Sejarah
Hilmar Farid (Indonesia)
Historian
Moderator:
Bambang Harymurti (Indonesia)
Former Chief Executive Officer of Tempo
4.15 - 6 PM
Panel 2 Postcolonial Perspectives from South Asia
Speaker:
Divya Dwivedi (India)
Philosopher, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Respondent:
Simon Soon (Malaysia)
Art Historian and Senior Lecturer at University of Malaya
Manneke Budiman (Indonesia)
Vice Dean for Education, Research and Student Affairs of Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia
Moderator:
Kwartarini Wahyu Yuniarti (Indonesia)
Professor in Clinical Psychology, researching Cross Cultural and Indigenous Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada
25 January
9.30 - 11.30 AM
Panel 3 Postcolonial Perspectives from Africa
Speaker:
Gabi Ngcobo (South Africa)
Curator, Lecturer in Wits School of Arts, University of the Witswatersrand
Respondent:
Brigitta Isabella (Indonesia)
Researcher at KUNCI Cultural Studies Center
Grace Samboh (Indonesia)
Curator
Moderator:
Philippe Pirotte (Germany)
Art Historian, Curator, Dean of the Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste Städelschule, Director of Portikus
1.30 - 3.30 PM
Panel 4 Postcolonial Perspectives from South America
Speaker:
Laymert Garcia dos Santos (Brazil)
Essayist
Respondent:
Ayu Utami (Indonesia)
Writer
Marco Kusumawijaya (Indonesia)
Co-founder of Rujak Center
Moderator:
Melani Budianta (Indonesia)
Professor of Literature at Universitas Indonesia
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