Cultural Studies and the Multiple Sites of Knowledge Production: Indonesia in 2010s

Melani Budianta

 Studying in the US, looking at Indonesia in 1990s, Practicing cultural studies in Indonesia, looking at the US in 2010s Changes of the condition of knowledge production: challenges and prospects for American-Indonesian studies

Studying in the US in 1990s

1990s: Studying English means reading the Classics (Milton, Shakespeare, 17th century Prose) American literature in the margin Cultural studies : being proposed as concentration by student body Post-structuralist theories & African Studies Marxism (two separate camps within the faculty) Hispanic student movement & anti-racism awareness groups Segregated multiculturalism and political correctness

Indonesia in the 1990s

Indonesia during the height of New Order Authoritarianism Cornell papers Benny Moerdani Gus Dur Pramoedya Ban Massacre in Timor Leste General Election and the end of Cornell Kelurahan.

Practicing Cultural Studies 1990s 2010s

1990s: cultural critique from the Satya Wacana scholars (Ariel Heryanto, Arief Budiman, George Aditjondro) & campus politics Plesetan, postmodernism -- literature and cultural workers American literature as double mirror : course on multiculturalism Cultural activist groups doing cultural critique (Kunci cultural studies, JKB ISSI, oral history movement )

Two revolutions : 9/11 and Reformasi movements

The Reformasi movement: doing cultural studies social movements Democratization: decentralization and return of patriarchy & nativism Mass media and the uncivil civil society The 9/11 tragedy and the war on terror Rise of anti-West sentiments

Inter-Asia globalization (1)

Changes in geopolitical configuration: Economic crisis & shift in demographics &orientation Inter-Asia globalization: Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Manila, Singapore, Hongkong, Kuala Lumpur East Asia competition in becoming the hub of Asian culture

Inter-Asia globalization (2)

Migrant workers in Asia: Indonesian diaspora Cultural flows (to Indonesia: always multiple sources since the pre-colonial period -- during the New Order : Cold War American centric orientation; post reformasi : East Asia K-Pop) New Islamic cultural expressions: from FPI, FBR to young, cosmopolitan Hijabers community and Metal Satu Jari Social media as the sites of community building, transborder alliances, life-styles & also anti-liberal movement using the very means of democratic societies.

Conditions of Knowledge Production

Decline of Indonesian studies in Europe and US Asian studies in Asia movement Korea, Japan, Singapore (Australia?) ARENA, IACS & CIACSI, AUN (from sharing modul, credit transfer, summer school to joint degree) Iwabuchi (2010), Kuan Hsing (2011) : Asia as Method, Goh Beng Lan (2011) , Diversifying and Decentralizing Southeast Asian studies, Indonesia: Increase of State sponsorship of postgraduate scholarship (DIKTI fellowship) Increased access to online sources for Indonesian scholars Translation of the scholarship on Indonesia for the wider public New generation of Indonesian studies scholarship (dialogue & partnership

Conditions of Knowledge Production

Corporatization of academic institutions, democratization & power of civil society (Constitutional court decision to revoke BHMN), academic autonomy and the state university, state and party politics in the campus & issue of identity politics. New ways of doing scholarship (blog, multimedia, selfpublishing, workers-scholars collaboration, e.g. SEACS. Local interest in Indonesian studies and Southeast Asian concentrations, centers, programs within and outside universities.

Challenges
Multiple sites for knowledge production (within and outside the campus, virtual, new alliances & modes and possibilities, inter-disciplinary ) : serve as challenges as well as opportunities AIFIS : engage in the multiple sites - Translation - Resource sharing & linkages between inter-Asia & EuroAmerica & local groups - Access and support for publishing - Topics discussed above: as areas for future collaboration (research, workshop, making use of existing international associations/local/regional conferences)