Over 6 million Indonesians live outside the country, with millions more estimated to have become citizens of others. According to the World Bank, the Indonesian diaspora contributed over $8 billion in remittances in 2017, making Indonesia among the highest recipients of remittances in the world. While the diaspora’s economic potential is clear, much less research has addressed their relationship with Indonesia, their adopted countries, and the fault lines of Indonesianness. Attempts to include diasporas into existing developmental practices is problematic as it tends to assume that diasporas share common interests with the development industry and homogenizes Indonesians of diverse legal statuses and heritages into a monolithic diaspora group.
The program will begin with an interactive 2018 YIF Spring Dialogue that will feature scholars who have researched and written extensively on Indonesia, as well as practitioners who have engaged with issues relating to overseas Indonesians. In the afternoon, the discussion continues through the 17th Northeastern Conference on Indonesia. Speakers and panels TBA.