Book Launch | The Indonesian Left in the Twentieth Century
Date: Wednesday 7 October 2026
Time 15:30 – 17:55
Location: KITLV
Herta Mohr Building, Witte Singel 27A, 2311 BG Leiden
Room:1.30
Register: kitlv@kitlv.nl
https://www.kitlv.nl/
About the event
This event incudes a book talk with experts, as well as a short film screening (30 mins) surrounding it’s topic, followed by a drinks reception. All are welcome, register via kitlv@kitlv.nl
About the book
The Indonesian Left in the Twentieth Century : Beyond the Rise and Fall of a Party
This edited volume highlights the work of a new generation of scholars who have reignited the study of the Indonesian Left, particularly the PKI, across continents and disciplines. It reinterprets the Indonesian Left and its associated organisations not simply as a local and national phenomenon but as a force of global relevance. Historically, the Left has always been constructed in conversation and contestation with, on the one hand, the colonial and postcolonial state and, on the other, the communist epicentres of Moscow and Beijing. Moving beyond party-centred narratives, the chapters in this volume demonstrate how diverse global networks and ideologies were translated and transformed within very local, situation-specific environments. In doing so, they foreground the contributions of people and organizations often relegated to the margins of the PKI, illuminating the Indonesian Left as a dynamic site of transnational and local interaction.
With Alex de Jong, Klaas Stutje, Rika Theo, Saskia Wieringa
