[Recording] The Restless Space Between Worlds: Indonesia and its First Stirrings

Recorded on July 3rd, 2025

This lecture looks at how Indonesian nationalism first took shape during Dutch colonialism through the lens of literature. Under the Dutch Ethical Policy, a small group of Indonesians received a Western education, but they remained socially excluded, while caught between Dutch values and their native roots. Stories like Anak dan Kemenakan and Bumi Manusia show how the Indies elites struggled with racism, identity, and cultural loss due to wanting to be more westernized. In Bumi Manusia, the main character Minke’s name is linked to the word “monkey,” showing how deeply racism shaped their experience. The lecture describes how, from this tension, early thinkers began imagining “Indonesia” as a new national identity.

This event was organized byDeconstructing Indonesia, a NYSEAN Partner.