Workshop on Timor Leste – Indonesia Reconciliation

The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) meets in July in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In previous years AAS conferences have had “pre-conference workshops” of one sort or another under the auspices of the AAS Timor-Leste Studies Association. The AAS and host of the AAS-in-Asia conference Gadjah Mada University have agreed to host a pre-conference workshop on Timor-Leste on July 8.

The one-day workshop would address two main themes. First, the memory and role of young Timorese who studied in Indonesia in the 1990s, including at UGM, as a way to deepen historical understanding and promote human rights awareness, as well as increasing understanding of past Timorese-Indonesian relations. Second, a panel on Timor-Indonesia reconciliation will advance understanding and rights awareness, as mandated in the Chega and CTF reports. A middle panel will consist of a round table on a new book that proposes a changed understanding of Timor-Leste history and thus of the field of Timor-Leste studies.

The intent is not for formal papers, but rather for a conversation involving leading experts and practicioners in the topics addressed. Panelists may prepae short remarks of up to 5 minutes and circulate written materials in advance, but the time in the sessions is intended for dialogue, conversation and mutual learning, rather than formal paper presentations.