State, Ideology and Development Cooperation: The Symbolic Politics of Indonesia's South-South Cooperation [article]

Miranda Tahalele, University, The Australian National
2020
The changing landscape of foreign aid has both stimulated and acknowledged the re-emergence of Southern countries as donors and providers of aid and knowledge in global development cooperation. This research explored how Indonesia, as a Southern state, has constructed the idea of 'giving' in South-South Cooperation (SSC) within the globalised world of foreign aid. It argues that Southern cooperation has two structures: the symbolic narratives of partnership and solidarity, and the state
more » ... ional framework. This thesis used contemporary development studies, related social theories and the symbolic structures of giving to examine and analyse the concepts of giving and sharing in the social relations of SSC. The histories and roles of Indonesia in SSC were mapped to explore its evolution from the origin of giving, the Bandung Conference 1955 to the current politics of SSC. A qualitative research approach was applied to answer the research question specifically within the context of Indonesia's SSC. To maintain its Southern cooperation legacies, Indonesia shaped its SSC based on its ideology and ritualised symbols of the Asian-African Conference. Based on fieldwork in Indonesia and Myanmar, the meanings and interpretations of Southern cooperation policy were explored to determine how it is practised and implemented. Perceptions of and motivation for the reciprocal process of Southern cooperation were analysed to understand the process of giving and sharing as captured in Indonesia-Myanmar Cooperation. When Indonesia institutionalised SSC, its government played significant roles in shaping the national model of cooperation and projecting the country's international position in development cooperation. Further, this study theorises the politics of giving in SSC by examining how Indonesia has maintained the state's symbolic narratives to distinguish its development relations and construct institutions to build better partnerships and cooperation. This structure distinguishes the debates surrounding global developme [...]
doi:10.25911/5fbf766abc3e5 fatcat:s2bvtkbplrgzbmfe6rgcz6a5om