Inscriptions on the Move: Prasasti, Repatriation, and Collaboration between Indonesia and Britain
Inscriptions on the Move: Prasasti, Repatriation, and Collaboration between Indonesia and Britain
Date: Monday 18 September 2023
Time: 09:00 - 17:00
Venue: Advanced Research Centre Studio 2
Category: Conferences, Public lectures
The conference will examine the context and legacies of the Prasasti Sangguran and Pucangan, two early modern stone inscriptions of great social, scientific, and national significance. The stones were removed from Indonesia by Stamford Raffles during the British Interregnum of Java (1811-1816). The Sangguran inscription was sent to the Minto estate in Scotland while the Pucangan was sent to Kolkata. Campaigns to repatriate the inscriptions began in 2003.
The conference will explore new research on the inscriptions in their early modern and modern contexts, including their role in colonial and post-colonial national imaginaries, ideas of cultural and environmental decline, changing conceptions of borders, territory, colony, and empire. The conference will consider the history of campaigns for the restitution of artefacts to Indonesia, the repatriation of artworks from Scottish museums, and the shifting parameters of national narratives. By connecting the deep history of the inscriptions to the present, early modern to modern Indonesia, Britain, and India, the workshop will highlight the fluidity and contested meaning of the inscriptions.
Participants
Erika Anderson, Hunterian Museum, Curator of Minerology and Petrology
Dr Adam Bobbette, School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow
Dr Sadiah Boonstra, Head of Collections and Curatorial, Indonesian Agency for Museums and Cultural Heritage
Prof Peter Carey, Facultas Ilmu Pengetahuan Budaya, Universitas Indonesia
Dr Mekhola Gomes, History, Amherst College
Dr Bagus Muljadi, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham
Dr Jarrah Sastrawan, École Française d’Extrême-Orient
Dr Alexander Supartono, School of Arts and Creative Industries, Edinburgh Napier University
Farah Wardani, Curator
Professor Arlo Griffiths, École Française d’Extrême-Orient
Eko Bastiawan, Independent Researcher, Member of ERC DHARMA project