[Recording] Mother, Border, Other: Third World Internationalism and the Politics of Motherhood in Indonesia and China

Recorded 03.11.2025

Taomo Zhou, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore, discusses the life and legacy of Francisca Casparina Fanggidaej (1925–2013)—a left-wing Indonesian activist in the Afro-Asian movements, a mother of seven, and a woman who endured decades of forced separation from her family. Through Fanggidaej’s story, Taomo explores how Indonesia and China shaped notions of motherhood and how a transnational figure like Fanggidaej navigated her role within revolutionary anticolonialism in Indonesia, state socialism in China, and the global shift toward capitalist neoliberalism—ultimately displacing the Third World internationalist vision both nations once championed. The discussion is moderated by Rianne Subijanto, Assistant Professor at Baruch College, CUNY.

This event was hosted by the NYSEAN and sponsored by NYU Wagner.