June 2, 2025
By Gde Dwitya Arief Metera
On May 21, 2025, the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), the Netherlands, in collaboration with UIII’s Institute for Advanced Research (IFAR) hosted the first of a three-part workshop titled ‘Rethinking New Order Indonesia: Origins, Evolution, Legacies’. The event was supported by Central European University Democracy Institute (CEU DI), Review of Democracy (RevDem) journal, and the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Modern Cultures and the Institute of Studies on Asia at the University of Turin.
Held at the IIAS Conference Room, Witte Singel 27A, Leiden University, and accessible globally via Zoom, the workshop is part of a broader collaborative initiative leading to a special journal edition. This publication will spotlight early-career Indonesian scholars exploring the foundational logic, internal dynamics, and enduring legacies of the New Order in conversation with leading scholars in the field.
The event was convened by Dr. Gde Dwitya Arief Metera (IFAR UIII) and Dr. Iqra Anugrah (IIAS Leiden), both dedicated to advancing transnational scholarly dialogue on Indonesian politics, history, and development.
The workshop featured engaging presentations from Dr. Norman Joshua (Hoover Institution, Stanford University), who examined the role of military jurists under the New Order, and Dr. Farabi Fakih (Universitas Gadjah Mada), who analyzed the influence of American financial institutions in shaping the regime’s political economy.
Distinguished discussants Prof. Adriaan Bedner (Leiden University), a leading expert on Indonesian legal systems, and Prof. Jeffrey A. Winters (Northwestern University), an authority on oligarchy and elite politics, offered incisive commentary linking the Indonesian case to broader disciplinary questions as well as teasing out important analytical implications.
With participants joining from Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America, the workshop highlighted the continuing relevance of Indonesia’s authoritarian past in shaping contemporary democratic challenges.
A follow-up session will take place in mid-June 2025, continuing the exploration of the New Order’s legacies and their implications for contemporary Indonesian politics.
Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia
