Jointly organised by the Science, Technology & Society Clusters of Asia Research Institute and Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, NUS.

CHAIRPERSON

Prof Gregory Clancey, Asia Research Institute & Department of History, NUS.


ABSTRACT

In 1976, Indonesia made a debut in high technology when the New Order government led by President Suharto poured a vast amount of petrodollars to establish the Indonesian Aerospace Industry (IPTN) located in the city of Bandung. Within ten years, IPTN turned into one of the most ambitious technological projects ever seen in the developing world. The ultimate mission of this mega project was to become a global aircraft developer able to challenge the dominance of Euro-American airplane producers. The aerospace industry constituted the New Order’s technological nationalism, which necessitated the establishment of a host of scientific and technological institutions fully funded and organized by the state as a means to bring Indonesia to a take-off stage. This seminar traces back the origins of these ambitious hi-tech programs by examining political situations in the era particularly the authoritarian structure that allowed a group of engineers to shape the development path taken by the New Order state. The seminar raises two questions: How has nationalism shaped technological development? In what ways has nationalism been manifested through technology? What are the consequences of technological nationalism to the Indonesian society?


ABOUT THE SPEAKER