Pancasila's Contemporary Appeal: Re-legitimizing Indonesia's Founding Ethos

Background - Call for Papers

Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, created a revolutionary concept as the founding ethos of the newborn state of Indonesia. Pancasila was formulated as an intellectual concept to unify the rich variety of cultural, ethnic, linguistic, social and religious groups found throughout the vast and diverse Indonesian archipelago. Expanding its reach into all fields of society touching upon economics, politics, social justice, religion and human rights, after much contested debate, Pancasila was eventually accepted as the founding ethos of Indonesia.

Many years of economic, educational, political, and state-building development have passed since Pancasila was first espoused, resulting in the contemporary reality of Indonesian society. The current evolution of globalization and supra-national state structures have redefined the nation-state, directly challenging the relevance of a political philosophy developed decades ago and have put intense pressure upon the current interpretation of Pancasila.

The aim of this conference is to address questions and issues exploring to what degree Pancasila, as the founding ethos of Indonesia, continues to be relevant in a global and modern Indonesian society? To what degree can Pancasila and its followers address the various challenges of the centrifugal forces of globalization and modernity?

True to the multidisciplinary goal of the Yale Indonesia Forum (YIF), this topic will be approached by scientists and researchers from various intellectual and academic disciplines in order to highlight and question the different aspects of Indonesia's founding ethos of Pancasila. Abstracts are therefore invited for papers from scholars focusing on any social, economic, cultural, or religious aspect of this issue. Yogyakarta has again been chosen to host this year's YIF conference because of its nature as center of academic excellence in Indonesia, and as such, capacity to bring together intellectually and ethnically diverse people from all parts of Indonesia.

Program
July 1-2, 2009

Day 1

08.00 - 09.30 : Registration

09.00 - 10:00 : Opening Ceremony

Welcome by Fr. Ninik Yudiyanti, Vice-President of Sanata Dharma University.

Presentation of Towards An Inclusive Democratic Indonesian Society: Bridging the Gap between State Uniformity and Multicultural Identity Patterns, publication No 1 of the Yale Indonesia Forum International Conference Book Series, to Sanata Dharma University by Frank Dhont, YIF Coordinator.

10.00 - 10.15 : Coffee break

10.15-11.45: Panel 1: EXPRESSIONS OF PANCASILA

Moderator: A. Tripriantoro, Sanata Dharma University

Jennifer Goodlander, Ohio University.
"Rhythms of a National Body: Balinese Dance and the Ideology of the Panscasila."

Sita Hidayah, Florida International University/Institute for Interfaith Dialogue in Indonesia.
"Translating 'Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa' An Amenable Religious Repertoire?"

M. Endy Saputro, Gadjah Mada University.
"Reinterpreting Pancasila Kita."

11.45 - 12.45 : Lunch break

12.45 - 14.45 : Panel 2: INSPIRING A NATION

Moderator: Tamara Aberle, University of London

Satish Kumar Singh, DAV PG College, Banaras Hindu University
"Pancasila: Ethos of India"

Michael O'Shannassy, Australia National University.
"(Re)Imagining Community: Pancasila and National Identity in Contemporary Indonesia."

Saafroedin Bahar, Nusantara Institute.
"Pancasila, the living Staatsfundamentalnorm of the Indonesian nation-state."

Rommel A. Curaming, National University of Singapore.
"Consuming National Ideologies in the Blogsphere: Pancasila, Rukunegara and the Changing Matrix of Political Engagement in Indonesia and Malaysia"

14.45 - 15.00 : Coffee break

15.00 - 16.00 : Panel 3: INCLUDING THE OTHERS: PANCASILA FOR ALL?

Moderator: Tamara Aberle, University of London

Johanes Herlijanto, Macquarie University.
"Encountering the Ideological Other: Indonesians' Perception on Pancasila's 'Archenemy.'"

Yuwanto, Universitas Diponegoro.
"Exclusive bylaws at odds with state ideology of Pancasila."


Day 2

08.00 - 08.45 : Registration

08.45 - 10.15 : Panel 4: EDUCATION AND PANCASILA VALUES

Moderator: Melanie A. Nyhof, University of Pittsburgh

Frank Dhont, Yale University.
"Sukarno's Pancasila: a Man of his Time."

Hastangka, Gadjah Mada University.
"Pancasila Education in the Post Reform Era, Senior High Schools (SMA): A Study in Yogyakarta."

H. Purwanta, Sanata Dharma University.
"Inculcating Pancasila."

10.15 - 10.30 : Coffee break

10.30 - 12.30 : Panel 5: Questioning Pancasila's relevance: past and present.

Moderator: Melissa Teetzel, Pepperdine University

Seung-Won Song, Sogang University.
"Back to Basics in Indonesia?: Reassessing the Pancasila and Pancasila State and Society, 1945-2007."

Victor Sumsky, Institute of World Economy and International Relations.
"Why Pancasila may look irrelevant in 2009 - and why it may not."

G. Budi Subanar, Sanata Dharma University.
"Story of Pancasila through Visual Art: A Preliminary Research."

Michael Wood, Dawson College.
"Has Pancasila Ever been Relevant?: A Historical Inquiry."

12.30 - 13.30: Lunch break

13.30 - 15.30: Panel 6: APPLYING PANCASILA IN A COMMUNITY

Moderator: Melissa Teetzel, Pepperdine University

Kevin W. Fogg, Yale University.
"Pancasila as an Idea, not an Icon; Masyumi and the State Ideology."

Silverio R.L. Aji Sampurno, Sanata Dharma University.
"Pancasila, truly of the Indonesian people: The case of the community of Bening Village in Sleman, Yogyakarta."

Pius S. Prasetyo, Parahyangan University.
"Village Democracy : The Interaction Between Local Culture and Modern Political Pattern."

Lukas S. Ispandriarno, Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University.
"Pancasila Press after the New Order: The Concept and Practice of Pancasila Press according to the Version of Kedaulatan Rakyat newspaper of Yogyakarta."

15.30-16.00: Closing Ceremony

Closing Remarks by Frank Dhont, Yale University and Silverio R.L. Aji Sampurno, Sanata Dharma University.

Closing and presentation of souvenirs to all speakers by Paulus Wiryono Priyotamtomo, President of Sanata Dharma University.

Conference Organizers:
Frank Dhont, Yale University
Silverio R. L. A. Sampurno, Sanata Dharma University
S. Nindito, Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University
Thomas J. Conners, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Cooperating Institutions:
Yale Indonesia Forum, Yale University
Sanata Dharma University
Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University


For additional information: E-mail frank.dhont@yale.edu