From Contested to Hybrid Space: Transnationality, Everyday Sovereignty, and Global Order

Type

Double Panel

Part 1

Session 7
Wed 14:00-15:30 REC A2.09

Part 2

Session 8
Wed 16:00-17:30 REC A2.09

Conveners

Shiskha Prabawaningtyas Paramadina Graduate School of Diplomacy
Tatok Djoko Sudiarto Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Civilization, Universitas Paramadina

Discussant

Iyus Wiadi Unicersitas Paramadina

Save This Event

Add to Calendar

Papers

The Identity Dilemma at Sea: How Indonesian Seafarers Contest the Migrant Worker Narrative Beni Hasbiyalloh Shiskha Prabawaningtyas Universitas Paramadina
This research investigates the identity challenges faced by Indonesian seafarers within the global context, focusing on the external and internal factors that affect their perception as migrant workers. Externally, seafarers are excluded from land-based labour norms due to Maritime Exceptionalism. Internally, their employment is regulated by both the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Labor in Indonesia. This regulatory split is complicated by Floating Sovereignty, a result of the Flag of Convenience (FOC) system, which places seafarers in a unique legal and territorial position, distinct from terrestrial migrant workers. They work under a regime where they do not need residency permits, only transit visas. This contestation in practice highlight the construction of hybrid space of which differentiate the existing of division among seafarers. This study uses a qualitative approach, including in-depth interviews and document analysis, to explore how Indonesian seafarers navigate regulatory overlaps and address the stigma of being migrant workers. The findings reveal that seafarers are caught between their specialized identity, influenced by unique labour norms and migration processes, and the failure of Indonesian agencies to coordinate effectively. This dichotomy leads to a division among seafarers: those supporting the current system versus those seeking more protection under Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Law.
Heterogenous explanation of internationalism in a new postcolonial state: The case of Indonesian media during the liberal democracy period (1950-59) Al Araf Anton Aliabbas Bakrie University
This paper discusses how the media in a new postcolonial state promotes internationalism. As an ideology, internationalism has been developing globally since the 19th century. After World War II, the ideology developed drastically along with the establishment of international organisations and the advancement of diplomacy, which was shaped by decolonisation. One of the tools to promote internationalism in a new postcolonial state is the media. It might reflect its vision and understanding of internationalism through circulating news and opinion. In the case of Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Period (1950-1959), the media was actively promoting internationalism. This research examines three major Indonesian media at that time, namely Indonesia Raya, Harian Rakjat and National News Agency of Antara. By employing qualitative method with international history and critical discourse analysis, the research attempts to answer the central question, ‘To what extent did the ideological struggle at the domestic level influence news discourse on internationalism.’ This research finds that those three media reflect different internationalism. These could be classified as promoting the ideas of liberal internationalism, revolutionary internationalism, and Third World internationalism.
Heterogenous explanation of internationalism in a new postcolonial state: The case of Indonesian media during the liberal democracy period (1950-59) Al Araf Brawijaya University Anton Aliabbas
This paper discusses how the media in a new postcolonial state promotes internationalism. As an ideology, internationalism has been developing globally since the 19th century. After World War II, the ideology developed drastically along with the establishment of international organisations and the advancement of diplomacy, which was shaped by decolonisation. One of the tools to promote internationalism in a new postcolonial state is the media. It might reflect its vision and understanding of internationalism through circulating news and opinion. In the case of Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Period (1950-1959), the media was actively promoting internationalism. This research examines three major Indonesian media at that time, namely Indonesia Raya, Harian Rakjat and National News Agency of Antara. By employing qualitative method with international history and critical discourse analysis, the research attempts to answer the central question, ‘To what extent did the ideological struggle at the domestic level influence news discourse on internationalism.’ This research finds that those three media reflect different internationalism. These could be classified as promoting the ideas of liberal internationalism, revolutionary internationalism, and Third World internationalism.
The Identity Dilemma at Sea: How Indonesian Seafarers Contest the Migrant Worker Narrative Benni Yusriza Hasbiyalloh Paramadina University Shiskha Prabawaningtyas
This research investigates the identity challenges faced by Indonesian seafarers within the global context, focusing on the external and internal factors that affect their perception as migrant workers. Externally, seafarers are excluded from land-based labour norms due to Maritime Exceptionalism. Internally, their employment is regulated by both the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Labor in Indonesia. This regulatory split is complicated by Floating Sovereignty, a result of the Flag of Convenience (FOC) system, which places seafarers in a unique legal and territorial position, distinct from terrestrial migrant workers. They work under a regime where they do not need residency permits, only transit visas. This contestation in practice highlight the construction of hybrid space of which differentiate the existing of division among seafarers. This study uses a qualitative approach, including in-depth interviews and document analysis, to explore how Indonesian seafarers navigate regulatory overlaps and address the stigma of being migrant workers. The findings reveal that seafarers are caught between their specialized identity, influenced by unique labour norms and migration processes, and the failure of Indonesian agencies to coordinate effectively. This dichotomy leads to a division among seafarers: those supporting the current system versus those seeking more protection under Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Law.
Gender in Diplomacy, Everyday IR, and Contested Space: The Indonesian Case Kanti Pertiwi Suci Lestari Yuana Wendy Andhika Prajuli Humboldt University, Berlin
Research on gender in diplomacy has become a new passion among international relations scholars. This presentation, then, aims to propose a framework for how to understand and analyze gender in diplomacy. It argues research on gender in diplomacy should apply everyday IR as a framework of analysis. To support this argument, we offer 3 explanations why everyday IR should be used as a framework to understand and analyze gender in diplomacy. Firstly, the existence of women’s representation in diplomacy is influenced by gender socialization at home. Secondly, women’s obstacles in diplomacy are related to the daily practices of patriarchism as well as bias in the understanding of daily gender-based division of labor. Thirdly, female diplomatic spouses frequently face unfair treatment that is related to gender bias. In so doing, we critically analyze diplomacy as a contested space between local and global gender norms/practices. We will use Indonesia as the case to support our arguments.

Show Paper Abstracts

Abstract

This panel aims to identify and locate a new foundation of understanding “everyday” practice of International Relations despite of the benevolent belief and expectation of the liberal order of Second World War Global Governance. A vibrant academic “habitus” such as European Association for Southeast Asia Studies would be a perfect space to engage a conversation of identifying and locating the gap of understanding the “Western” idea of “sovereignty” of which embedded in the concept of nation-state as the mainstream subject of International Relations. International Relations as a new study of understanding “nation-state” in early 1919 has been suffered from both Eurocentric and America-centric approaches as well as concept of which reflects to the blindness of finding the gap between the mainstream and applicable concept to understand International Relations in Southeast Asia post-colonial states including as Indonesia. On the other hand, Area studies remains silent to bring back the post-colonial discourses to contest and build critical argument against asymmetric relations among states as well as the inequality of global order in the study of International Studies. In this direction, a transdisciplinary approach is required to address such complex engagements as well as diachronic transition process in order to propose alternative choice of policy in which entitled to the idea of “local ownership“ for the sustainability sciences or policies. Therefore, the core aim of this panel invites further interest and direction of applying a new perspective and approach of understanding International Relations of which more focus on an analytical method of identifying and locating the act of transnationality as a relation other than the mainstream of interstate relations.

Prabawaningtyas (2015), for example, identifies the construction of a hybrid space when Indonesian fishers contested the existing of state’s border at seas while Indonesia and Australian agreed of recognizing the practice of Indonesian traditional fishing right in Ashmore Reef and a surrounding water of Australian territorial water in 1974. The construction of transborder identity is located under, at least four circumstances, namely 1) the contestation between past and present of cross border practices, 2) the continuous practice of tradition in present relevant, 3) the share of geographical space a cross border, and 4) human mobility (Prabawaningtyas 2015: 161-163).

By taking account the concept of transnationality (Ishikawa 2010), everyday sovereignty (Carvalho, Schia, and Guillaume 2019) and global order (Keohane 1984, Waltz 1993), this panel identifies case studies in post-colonial states including Indonesia on how the concept transborder identity juxtaposed and intertwined in certain thematic practices along period of time to locate the gap of identity’s construction and the locality of the practices of International Relations.

The objective of this panel will further examine the construction of transborder identity by locating the gap of identity’s construction and the locality of this practice that can be manifested on certain thematic global issues such as information, supply chain of global markets, carbon market of renewable energy, and migrant workers. The current both policies debate and academic discourse in International Relations on the post-pandemic Covid1-19 reveals the vulnerability of the “Westphalian’s” concept of nation-state and liberal order against “critical security”. Questions of who’s representing the state? How a nation-state is constructed? Whose security is justified to be a national security? What is national interest? How national interest is constructed and further pursued? How local’s practice is constructed against global discourse? Those are some root’s question that would be addressed through those thematic field.

This panel aims to invite prospective contributors discussing both case studies and theoretical approach on the construction of post-colonial states in order to identify and locate these contested and hybrid space. We are looking forward for the opportunity to arrange a double panel discussion for this discussion.