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This workshop brings together scholars from across academic disciplines to examine the transnational networks and multifaceted belonging shaping the Indonesian diaspora, which is distributed globally and encompasses individuals from highly diverse ethnic, religious, and professional backgrounds. In this workshop, we adopt the idea of Global Indonesians as a “shifting diaspora,” focusing on the dynamic and evolving nature of diasporic communities and the sense of belonging within these communities themselves. This framework is particularly relevant to the current circumstances of ‘Global Indonesians’. Many within these communities contextually negotiate their identities and sense of belonging, shaped by factors such as political developments, state policies, economic fluctuations, religious participation, and local inclusion.

We situate the idea of shifting diaspora in the flows of transnational networks, and multifaceted belonging among the Indonesian diaspora worldwide. One particular area of interest for this workshop is the role that religious networks and communities have played in forging diasporic connections, and religious practices as home-making practices in these contexts. This workshop seeks to adopt a broad and inclusive perspective on the notion of shifting diaspora, with the aim of generating new insights and identifying key directions for future research. The following are avenues of interest that participants are invited to consider in their submissions:

Diasporic Identity

• How do Indonesians abroad identify themselves in relation to current political conditions in Indonesia and the countries where they live and work? How might this contribute to an understanding of everyday citizenship?
• How has religious identity and participation shaped diasporic identity among Indonesians?
• How do different generations within the Indonesian diaspora perform their hybridity, both in person and online?
• How has the potential emergence of a diasporic identity been shaped by class distinctions, varied migration trajectories, and ethnic and religious diversity which it encompasses?

Transnational Networks

• How might transnational networking among the Indonesian diaspora shift their relationship with their home and/or host country?
• How do transnational networks of various kinds (formal associations, informal connections, professional, religious, etc.) shape the experience of the Indonesian diasporas?
• How have transnational religious networks contributed to diasporic trajectories?
• How does the use of digital media shape the realities of transnational networking for the current Indonesian diasporic experience?

Multifaceted Belonging

• To what extent does the idea of rootedness or the experience of being born/living in Indonesia shape experiences of belonging among the Indonesian diaspora?
• What can we learn from policies from the Indonesian government as well as in host countries that have reshaped the sense of belonging, unbelonging , or multiple and contextual belongings among Indonesian diasporas?

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Paper proposals should include a title, an abstract (maximum 250 words), and a brief personal biography (about 150 words) for submission by 30 April 2026. Additionally, please include a statement confirming that your proposed paper has not been published or committed elsewhere, and that you are willing to revise the version of your paper presented at the workshop for potential inclusion in an edited volume. Please submit your proposal using the form available on the website.

Authors of selected proposals will be notified in end May 2026. Presenters will be required to submit a draft of their papers (4,000-6,000 words) by 10 September 2026. These papers will be distributed to fellow speakers and chairpersons prior to the workshop and do not need to be fully polished.

This workshop will be held in person. Full or partial airfare funding will be offered to overseas participants, as well as three nights of accommodation in Singapore. Please indicate your need for funding support in the proposal form.

WORKSHOP CONVENORS

Dr Erica M. LARSON
Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

Dr Amorisa WIRATRI
Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

Dr Bittiandra Chand SOMAIAH
NUS College, National University of Singapore