Axiom, 16. November 2016, 14-16 Uhr, Reconciling Indonesia with Elisabeth Ida and Elsa Clavé play: Reconciling Indonesia

“Reconciling Indonesian history with 1965: facts, rumours and stigma”

Goethe University – Frankfurt (Germany), Westend Campus

This conference will focus on events held in collective memory and historiography, which were taken as justification explaining the necessity to eradicate the Communist party, its affiliated organizations and sympathisers in 1965-1966, and which are still in use in the public discourse in Indonesia.

This international conference invites participants to reflect on the fear of communism and its violent consequences in past and contemporary Indonesian society. It aims to examine historical facts and events involving the Communist Party of Indonesia and its sympathisers, to question stereotypes and stigma, to analyse how they appeared, the reasons allowing them to remain operative and finally their impact over the last century in Indonesia.

This event intends to bring together scientists from several countries, but also people engaged in non-academic advocacy and Indonesian government officials. Uniting the collective effort of scholars and civil society actors, the conference aims to present the abundant research of the last years which must be placed in the present revision context of Indonesian history. This international event advocates the conciliation of strong academic research with societal and political issues. Taking the form of a forum on the last day, the conference stands for an alternative between pure fundamental research and commissioned policy reports.

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