Panel

EuroSEAS Conference 2010 in Gothenburg

Lessons from Aceh: post-conflict developments re-assessed
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Chairs:
Antje Missbach, Australian National University, Canberra, and Gunnar Stange, Goethe-University, Frankfurt

In the aftermath of an almost 30 year long small-scale separatist conflict and a devastating natural catastrophe, Indonesia’s northernmost province Aceh has become a ‘laboratory’ for political and social scientists. An enormous amount of research has been done on issues such as conflict to peace transformation, peace-building, relief, rehabilitation and sustainable development, democratization, and empowerment of women has been done. Now, five years after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the peace agreement that brought relative peace and stability to Aceh, it is time to evaluate the academic outcome of these many studies, research projects and analyses.
The panel aims to discuss a number of relevant questions, such as: is Aceh the role model and success story that it is asserted to be by the Indonesian Government and the international donor community? What lessons can be learnt from the Aceh peace process in regard to similar conflicts in the region? Which short-, mid- and long-terms developments on the local and the national stage might challenge peace and stability in Aceh? Have the original politico-economic roots of conflict been addressed appropriately by current legal adjustments or are there only ‘bandage solutions’ that ignore the fundamental triggers of there previous conflict?

To approach this question from various perspectives, we invite scholars and practitioners to present their recent work on Aceh, covering different aspects of post-conflict and -disaster life. We especially encourage scholars with interdisciplinary and comparative research projects to join this panel. Please send your abstract of maximum 300 words to both email addresses indicated below until the 30 November 2009. We will decide on the number of papers until the 31 December 2009. All accepted applicants are expected to hand in a full version of their presentation by May 2010 in order to have them contributed to other panel participants and to ensure a vital and profound discussion.

antje.missbach@anu.edu.au
Stange@em.uni-frankfurt.de