Book Talk with Father Baskara Wardaya

Monday, November 2, 2026
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM (Pacific Time)

In Awan Merah, literally “Red Clouds,” Indonesian historian and human rights activist Father Baskara Wardaya reflects on a journey through places, people, and experiences. Drawing on nearly 37 years of travel around the world, he weaves personal encounters and observations into larger questions about history and the human experience.

Rather than a conventional history textbook, the book invites readers to connect the past with the moral choices of the present. It asks readers to connect the past with the moral choices of the present. It also suggests that the value of education and historical inquiry should ultimately be measured, at least in part, by whether they help us build a more humane and just society.

About the speaker

Baskara T. Wardaya holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in history from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2004–2005, he conducted Fulbright postdoctoral research in the United States on U.S.–Indonesian relations. He received a second Fulbright grant in 2011–2012 to teach at the University of California, Riverside. In 2022, he held the Francis Wade Chair and taught Southeast Asian history at Marquette University.

His books include Chicago, Chicago (2006), Cold War Shadow (2007), Truth Will Out (2013), Luka Bangsa, Luka Kita (2013), Beyond Borders (2017), Keeping Hope (2017), Memori Genosida (2021), and Awan Merah (2023). He is currently with PRAKSIS (Jesuit Center for Research and Advocacy) in Jakarta, Indonesia.