Panel

CALL FOR PAPERS

Key figures of rural Indonesian modernity

Panel at the sixth EUROSEAS Conference, 26-28 August 2010, Gothenburg
Convenor: Catherine Allerton, London School of Economics

In a recent article in the journal Indonesia, Joshua Barker and Johan Lindquist introduce a cast of ‘key figures’ who crystallize and embody aspects of ‘Indonesian modernity’. These figures range from the Muslim Television Preacher, to the Activist, to the Rich Person, Street Vendor and Street Kid. This methodological tactic is original and exciting, and injects a new dynamism into the study and description of contemporary Indonesia. Yet the cast of characters uncovered in the article are predominantly (though not exclusively) figures of the city. Does this mean that ‘Indonesian modernity’ does not extend to rural regions and small islands? What kinds of figures of modernity might emerge if we focus our attention on rural Indonesia? In what ways might urban figures be significant or insignificant beyond the city? Moreover, given the diversity and uneven development of this archipelagic nation, can we even talk of a unified ‘Indonesian modernity’?

This panel is intended to be a further exploration of, and a critical engagement with, the notion of ‘key figures of Indonesian modernity’. Can we uncover a parallel cast of characters for rural Indonesia? Prior to the conference, participants will be asked to submit a 1000-word paper describing the figure they have chosen, giving a history and contextualization of the type, followed by an analysis of its implications for understandings of contemporary Indonesia. The shorter paper format will enable a greater number of participants than is usual at conference panels. The panel format is also meant to encourage creative approaches from those working within a range of disciplines and on a multitude of different research topics. Following the conference, revised papers from the panel will be submitted to Indonesia as a companion piece to the original ‘key figures’ article. This panel should appeal to all scholars, including PhD students, who have conducted research in rural Indonesia since the fall of the Suharto government.

Please send your initial ‘key figures’ abstract of 250 words by email to c.l.allerton@lse.ac.uk or by post to:
Dr C. Allerton, Department of Anthropology, LSE, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE.