The Timor Leste-Indonesia Workshop was one of the activities leading up to the Conference of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM).
The workshop, held in the new UGM Faculty of Law (FH UGM) building, was opened by Adrianto Dwi Nugroho, Vice Dean for Academic, Student Affairs, and Collaboration.
Dr. Hilary Finchum-Sung, President of the Association for Asian Studies; Dr. Krisna Uk, Program Manager of the Association for Asian Studies; Professor David Webster, Chair of History and Global Studies at Bishop’s University and member of the International Advisory Board at Centro Nacional Chega, Timor-Leste; and Professor Diatri Nari Ratih, Secretary of the UGM Directorate of Research, among others, were present at the workshop.
Adrianto Dwi Nugroho welcomed the delegates to the Timor Leste-Indonesia Workshop at AAS-in-Asia 2024 at FH UGM.
“We are truly honored to have you here with us today. On behalf of the dean and the faculty, I extend a warm welcome to FH UGM,” he said on Monday (Jul. 8).
Nugroho stated that this one-day pre-conference workshop, co-sponsored by UGM and the Association for Asian Studies through the Timor Leste Studies Initiative, would address two main themes.
Firstly, the memory and role of young Timorese studying in Indonesia in the 1990s will deepen historical understanding, raise human rights awareness, and enhance knowledge of Timor-Indonesia relations in the past. Secondly, the Timor-Indonesia reconciliation panel will improve understanding and rights awareness, as mandated in the Chega and CTF reports.
“I thank the entire committee for their significant contributions in preparing this event. I hope this workshop will enlighten our insights and increase our awareness of this important matter,” Nugroho explained.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hilary Finchum-Sung said in her speech that the Association for Asian Studies has existed since 1941.
The organization and its membership are dedicated to Asian studies and have developed many programs over the years, including publication programs, conferences, various types of workshops and events, and grant programs for members and non-members of AAS.
“We developed a five-year strategic plan with many goals a few years ago. One of them includes strengthening relationships, outreach, and networks in Asia,” she said.
Furthermore, she conveyed that when AAS developed the strategic plan, they decided to focus on Asian studies. With that decision, it was indeed time for AAS to truly reach out and interact with communities in the Asian continent and beautiful places like Indonesia.
“Tomorrow, we will hold the first AAS-in-Asia in Indonesia, and we are very proud and happy to be here and partner with UGM,” she revealed.
As part of the strategic plan, AAS has a concept known as Global Asias. This concept discusses population flows and engagement and refers to a perspective not bound by a specific timeline.
The concept does not separate current events or developments from those that occurred in the past but rather sees them as part of a unified whole.
Additionally, Global Asias does not limit Asian populations to a specific geographic location. Instead, it encompasses the global Asian community, including the Asian diaspora spread worldwide, involving people from various places and backgrounds, not only from the Asian region but also those living and interacting in multiple parts of the world.
“Regarding Timor-Leste, AAS has played a significant role in helping to develop the field of Timor-Leste studies, or at least to engage in its study,” Dr. Finchum-Sung explained.
It all started in 2017 with the annual conference in Toronto. At that time, there was an opportunity to bring together Timor-Leste scholars worldwide, including scholars from Timor-Leste, Australia, Japan, Portugal, Canada, and others.
“This allowed people to meet in person and discuss their research. The Henry Luce Foundation funded the first workshop. Once again, I would like to thank Professor Wening Udasmoro of UGM, who has been instrumental in connecting us with UGM and playing a key role in this event,” she explained.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photographer: Donnie