Bandung at 70. Or, what really happened at the world’s most famous international conference

2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the world’s most famous international conference. When the five 'Colombo Powers' – Burma, Ceylon, India, Indonesia, Pakistan -- decided to hold an international conference of newly independent post-colonial countries in Bandung, Indonesia, in 1955, they could hardly have imagined we would be still talking about the event seven decades later. But we are, hence, the lasting power of this event as a landmark of anti-imperial third world sovereignty – often captured by the term Bandung Spirit -- requires its own explanation.

To explore this and other questions, this talk will review the extensive literature on Bandung, its origins and its aftermath(s), drawing on archival evidence from around the world. Myths (and there are many) will be reviewed, along with the outcomes, successes, fissures, and fractures among the 29 official participants. This presentation will seek to answer a question that scholars are still debating seven decades on – should Bandung be seen as a beginning or an end? [Spoiler Alert: it may be both].

Speaker

Itty Abraham is professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University. His research lies at the intersection of international relations and science and technology studies. Earlier, he taught at the National University of Singapore, University of Texas at Austin, and George Washington University. He has published two single-authored books, edited and co-edited three books and two journal special issues, as well as numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Some of his recent writings include the examination of civilisational discourses in Indian foreign policy, a postcolonial history of the UN Refugee Convention, and the impact of digital technologies on citizenship and nationalism.
Image -"A 'Betjak' driver reads one of the Conference posters." Page 11 of the Asian-African Conference Bulletin, No. 9. April 25, 1955; published by the Indonesian Ministry of Information. Sourced via Wikipedia Commons.

The ANU Southeast Asia Institute Research Seminar Series is a recurring seminar series that showcases the work of scholars working on political, social, and cultural issues in Southeast Asia.

Contact the ANU Southeast Asia Institute Research Seminar Series Conveners:

Deepak Nair at deepak.nair@anu.edu.au
Nicholas Chan at waiyeap.chan@anu.edu.au