The Department of International Relations, Universitas Gadjah Mada and the School of Politics and International Studies (POLSIS), University of Queensland, are organizing an international conference to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Asian-African Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference.

The 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, Indonesia was a turning point for the post-colonial international political order. Attended by newly independent countries, the Bandung Conference voiced anti-colonial spirit and the aspiration for building a better political order. It is through this conference and other subsequent events that the identity of developing countries, now called the Global South, is effaced and developed as a distinct vision of international order.

Bandung Conference had undoubtedly brought about far-reaching impacts for both post-colonial countries and international order. Amidst the Cold War situation, the Conference had initiated the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement which obviously challenged the constellation of international security and strategy at that period. In the political economic realm, the spirit of Bandung Conference has also resulted in the developing countries’ demand for the building of the New International Economic Order (NIEO) in the 1970s. Commentators and scholars have thus widely regarded Bandung Conference as a challenge to Western-dominated international order.

“Bandung Conference and Beyond” will critically investigate the significance of Bandung Conference to the making and transformation of international order, security and justice in post-western world. In addition, the 2015 conference will discuss on what knowledge of international relations gained and developed within this period and what are the significance for the Global South in current international context. The conference will systematically address four inter-related major issues as outlined below:
- The impact, legacy and prospective importance of the ‘Bandung’ moment in understanding an increasingly post-Western world;
- The historical significance of the Bandung Conference for the evolution of the global order;
- The rise, demise and possible revival of ‘South-South’ internationalism and its relationship to other forms of internationalism;
- Non-Western visions of international justice, security, and order offered by the Bandung Conference to the contemporary world

SUGGESTED THEMES
- South Perspectives in IR. What is a south perspective ? Is there a non-Western theory of IR? How do we link the south perspective to the legacy of Bandung Conference? How do developing countries visualize their role in global politics and see the role of the West in international relations?

- South-South Internationalism. What is the influence of south-south cooperation to global affairs? How relevant is Bandung Conference to the current positioning strategy of developing countries?

- Bandung Spirit in Contemporary World. What are the norms and values offered by the Bandung Conference that are still relevant for the contemporary international relations dynamics? How can these norms and values contribute to solve global problems? To what extent, do these norms and values influence global order?

- Civil Society and the Global South. How did Bandung Conference create a space for civil society involvement in dealing with the Global South issues? How can civil society from the Global South shape global agenda?

- The Dynamics of South-North Relations. What is the trajectory of north and south relations? How does the Bandung Spirit pave the way towards a more mutual relations between South and North?

- Others. This conference is open to any discussion aiming to enrich practical and academic approaches in understanding the role of developing countries into global politics.