The UP Asian Center, UP Center for International Studies, and the DLSU-Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (SEARCH) will host " The Global Anti-Imperialist Movement and the Legacy of Bandung," an online book talk of Vision for the Future: An Intellectual History of the 1955 Bandung Conference by Wildan Sena Utama, on 17 July 2025, 2 PM, Manila Time (1 PM, Jakarta) online via Zoom. The webinar is free and open to the public, but signing in to a (free) Zoom account is required.
ABOUT THE BOOK
VISION FOR THE FUTURE: AN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF THE 1955 BANDUNG CONFERENCE
In April 1955, delegates from 29 Asian and African countries and colonies gathered in Bandung, Indonesia, for the Asian-African Conference. What was the message that these 29 delegations were seeking to transmit to their domestic and global audience? Why was a conference of postcolonial states and anticolonial movements perceived as so important in international politics by its contemporaries, and why has it had such lasting effects?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
WILDAN SENA UTAMA, Ph.D.
Lecturer, History Department, Universitas Gadjah Mada
Wildan Sena Utama is a scholar of modern international and transnational history, with an interest in the history of the connections between Indonesia and the Afro-Asian world in the 20th century. He obtained his Ph.D. at the Department of History, University of Bristol in 2023, researching on the involvement of Indonesians in Afro-Asian movements in the 1950s-1960s to demonstrate that South-South Solidarity was central to the history of national independence, anti-imperialism, and decolonial worldmaking. He got his BA in history from Universitas Gadjah Mada and MA in Colonial and Global History from Leiden University.
Dr. Utama was involved as an associate researcher in Asia in the collaborative research project Afro-Asian Networks in the Early of Cold War (2015-2018) led by University of Bristol (Su Lin Lewis) and Leiden University (Carolien Stolte). He is a member of the Editorial Board of Lembaran Sejarah, Candrasangkala: Jurnal Pendidikan Sejarah. Besides academic writing, he writes columns for several Indonesian media, such as tirto.id, historia.id, detik.com, beritagar.id, Media Indonesia, Sinar Harapan, Seputar Indonesia, The Jakarta Post and Kompas. His first book, Konferensi Asia-Afrika 1955: Asal Usual Intelektual dan Warisannya bagi Gerakan Global Antiimperialisme (Marjin Kiri, 2017), examines the global history of the Bandung Conference and its legacy in international politics. Read more.
ABOUT THE REACTORS
SARAH JANE S. RAYMUNDO
Assistant Professor, UP Center for International Studies
Sarah Raymundo is a full-time faculty at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Center for International Studies. She is engaged in activist work in BAYAN (The New Patriotic Alliance), the International League of Peoples’ Struggles, and Chair of the Philippines-Bolivarian Venezuela Friendship Association. She is a member of the National Executive Board of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and currently the External Vice Chair of the Philppine Anti-Impeiralist Studies (PAIS). She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal for Labor and Society (LANDS) and Interface: Journal of/and for Social Movements.
ARIEL C. LOPEZ, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Asian Center, UP Diliman
Dr. Ariel C. Lopez is an Associate Professor at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he also serves as the Assistant to the Dean for Research, Publications, and Information. He earned his Ph.D. in History from Leiden University, Netherlands, in 2018. Dr. Lopez began his academic journey with a BA in History from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2007. Specializing in Indonesian Studies, colonial and maritime History, Philippine History, and Southeast Asian History, Dr. Lopez has made significant contributions to these fields through his research and publications. In addition to his research, Dr. Lopez is actively involved in teaching courses on Southeast Asian history and maritime connections, fostering a deeper understanding of the region's complex past among his students.
FERNANDO A. SANTIAGO, JR., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, DLSU Department of History
Dr. Fernando A. Santiago, Jr. received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Master of Arts in History (with High Distinction) from De La Salle University-Manila. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in History from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He is a faculty member of the De La Salle University Department of History, where he has served in the capacities of Vice-Chairman and Officer-in-Charge. He is the Vice-President and Executive Director of the Philippine Historical Association (PHA), a member of the Social Science Ethics Review Board of the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC-SSERB), and a member of the Advisory Council of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP). His research interests include Agricultural/Rural History, Ethnohistory, Local History, Oral History, and Biographies. He has presented extensively at local and international conferences. His research papers have been published in peer-reviewed journals.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
This webinar is organized by the organizing committee of the International Conference, Sejiwa: The Spirit of Banding at 70, composed of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines; the Center for International Studies, University of the Philippines; and the De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub.This event is part of the celebration of the 70th founding anniversary of the UP Asian Center.
