Herb Feith Memorial Lectures
Honouring the memory of the late Herb Feith – teacher, scholar, activist and humanitarian
Herb Feith (1930-2001) was Australia's finest scholar of Indonesia. His example and idealism inspired the founding of the Volunteer Graduate Scheme that developed into Australian Volunteers International. Teaching politics at Monash University from 1962 to 1990, he led generations of students to share his passionate concern for Indonesia, international politics, democracy, human rights, peace studies and conflict resolution.
The Herb Feith Foundation was set up by the Council of Monash University in 2003 in honour and recognition of Herb Feith's life long work and dedication.
The fifth annual Herb Feith Lecture (2007)
The Centre of Southeast Asian Studies of the Monash Asia Institute and the Faculty of Arts, Monash University, in association with ABC Radio Australia and the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, present…
Observing Indonesia - then and now
The fifth annual Herb Feith Lecture
honouring the memory of the late Herb Feith – teacher, scholar, activist and humanitarian Herb Feith (1930-2001) was Australia’s finest scholar of Indonesia. His example and idealism inspired the founding of the Volunteer Graduate Scheme that developed into Australian Volunteers International. Teaching politics at Monash University from 1962 to 1990, he led generations of students to share his passionate concern for Indonesia, international politics, democracy, human rights, peace studies and conflict resolution.
Speakers: Emeritus Professors John Legge and Jamie Mackie
6.00 pm Book sale and refreshments for 7.00pm start
Thursday 22 November 2007
Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank Centre
Corner Sturt Street and Southbank Boulevard, Melbourne
Emeritus Professor John Legge AO was Foundation Professor of History and Dean of Arts, 1978-1986, at Monash University and Emeritus Professor Jamie Mackie was Foundation Professor in the Department of Political and Social Change, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. Both first worked in Indonesia in the 1950s, not long after Herb Feith. In the 1960s and 1970s, all three worked at Monash University, establishing its Centre of Southeast Asian Studies in 1964.
In this lecture, Professors Legge and Mackie reflect on Indonesia, as they have observed its politics, history, society and relations with Australia over more than fifty years. Prof John Legge’s books include Sukarno: a political biography (3rd ed., 2003), Indonesia (3rd ed., 1980) and Democracy in Indonesia, 1950s and 1990s (joint ed., 1994). Jamie Mackie has just completed a Lowy Institute paper with the title Australia and Indonesia, Current problems: future prospects – one of the few sustained analyses of the relationship between our two countries yet published. In his talk, he will summarise and enlarge upon various aspects of this study, which analyses the reasons behind the turbulence in bilateral relations over the last decade and whether it is likely to continue. Prof Mackie’s previous publications are Bandung 1955: Non-Alignment and Afro-Asian Solidarity (2005), Konfrontasi: the Indonesia-Malaysia dispute, 1963-1966 (1974), The Chinese in Indonesia (ed., 1975), Indonesia: the making of a nation (joint ed., 1980) and Balanced Development: East Java in the New Order (joint ed., 1993).
Book sale and Refreshments (6.00 pm)
At this year's Herb Feith Lecture, two of Prof Jamie Mackie's recent publications will be on sale with all proceeds going to the Herb Feith Foundation. We would like to thank Prof Mackie and the Lowy Institute for making these publications available free of charge to the Herb Feith Foundation. The two publications are:
Australia and Indonesia: current problems, future prospects (Sydney: Lowy Institute, 2007) A$25
In his Herb Feith Lecture presentation, Professor Mackie will draw on and elaborate on his research for this new Lowy Institute Paper, in which he evaluates the sources of volatility between Australia and Indonesia, the ways the two governments can counteract them and the potential problems if things stay as they are. Since the fall of President Suharto in 1998, Australia-Indonesia relations have been quite volatile with the Indonesian Ambassador to Australia being withdrawn briefly in 2006, the first time this has ever happened. Indonesia’s democratisation has brought the two neighbours’ political systems more in line with each other. Yet, this has not led to quieter times. Rather, suspicions in Indonesia over Australia's interests towards the provinces of Papua have deepened along with Australian worries about religious developments in Indonesia.
Bandung 1955: Non-Alignment and Afro-Asian Solidarity (Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2005) A$25
Convened at a time of great upheaval around the world, at the height of the Cold War, armed conflict in Vietnam, and a period of nationalist and anti-colonialist struggles, the Bandung Asian-African Conference of 1955 was an unprecedented and unrepeated moment of unity of purpose among the 29 independent Asian and African nations represented there, and for some years a beacon of hope for the two goals of non-alignment and Afro-Asian solidarity. It is widely considered the inspiration that led to the eventual founding of the Non-Aligned Movement. This timely book, published to mark the 50th anniversary of the conference, charts the historical background that led to it, recounts the heady mix of events of the one week at Bandung – its spirit of unity as well as its near derailments – analyses its impacts and aftermath, and above all provides an insight into the political landscape or the world before, during and after this landmark event.
ALL WELCOME
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Please RSVP to Monash Asia Institute's Tony Donaldson, using the subject line "Herb Feith Lecture 2007" in your email to Tony.Donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au
Archives of previous years' lectures