The Wertheim Centennial
From 4 to 6 June 2008, the Wertheim Stichting (Wertheim Foundation) organizes in cooperation with the ASIA Platform of the University of Amsterdam and the International Institute of Social History at the same university, a memorial of the 100th birthday of the late Professor Dr Wim F. Wertheim. From 1946 to 1972 Wertheim was professor at the University of Amsterdam, in 1946 of the Modern History and Sociology of Indonesia and later extended to non-Western Sociology. He was founder of the Amsterdam school of Historical Sociology and propelled the Asian studies in Amsterdam and elsewhere. After his retirement he had a leading role in humanitarian action against political oppression. The memorial will be held in Amsterdam from the 4th to the 6th June 2008. It focuses on the scientific and emancipation legacy of Wertheim.
The event consists of two components, one managed by the ASIA Platform of the University of Amsterdam in cooperation with other parts of the university, and one by the Wertheim Stichting and free lance social scientists. The ASIA Platform in cooperation with the Amsterdam School for Social Science Research, Asian Studies in Amsterdam (ASiA) and The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) organizes the yearly Wertheim Lecture presented by Ien Ang of University of Western Sydney on "Asia From Down Under: Regionalism and Global Cultural Change". It also presents a Master Class on Wertheim's scientific legacy and relates it to new research. The Wertheim Stichting presents the Wertheim Award for Emancipation to Benny G. Setiono for his book on "Tionghoa dalam Pusaran Politik (Indonesia's Chinese Community under Political Turmoil). And there is in cooperation with ASIA Platform of the University of Amsterdam and the International Institute of Social History of that university, a freelance seminar on Blind Spots and Preoccupation in Dutch and Indonesian Historiography on Decolonization which applies the Ignorance theme discussed by Wertheim during his last Master's Course in 1972/1973 to the historiography and sociology of Indonesia's struggle for political and economic independence.
The Wertheim Foundation was founded in 1987 by academic colleagues and friends of Wertheim in order to keep his effort on human rights and emancipation in Indonesia alive by focussing on emancipated Indonesians that provide role examples for new generations of Indonesians. The board of the foundation consists of Frans Husken, anthropologist and professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen; Wim Go Gien Tjwan, retired professor on Southeast Asian History at Amsterdam University; Coen Holtzappel free lance anthropologist and chairman of the Stichting; Ibrahim Isa, Author and columnist; Jaap Erkelens historian; Bathara Simatupang economist and Farida Ishaja Rachmat, documentary at the International Institute of Social History. The main activity of the Stichting is the presenting of the Wertheim Award which, selected by experts, awards living Indonesians that produced influential and innovating products of emancipation in art, press and media and in historical and social science. Emancipation is the key concept of the Stichting, i.e. the liberation and development of human mind, energy and body from political oppression and from social and economic inequality. This year the winner is Benny Setiono with his book on Tionghoa dalam Pusaran Politik. Earlier prize-winners were the Indonesian poet and theatre maker Rendra, Indonesia's poet of the poor Wiji Thukul, the renowned novelist and poet Pramoedija Anantatoer, distinguished journalist Goenawan Mohamad and publisher Joesoef Isak.
For further details, please see the "Upcoming Events" section of this site.
THE WERTHEIM STICHTING
Registered at the Leiden Chamber of Commerce
Dossier number: 41167622
Address: Kokkelbank 2, 2317 MA Leiden
