Yogyakarta, October 1, 2025 — The Master’s Program in Literature at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) successfully held the ASN (Academic Sharing Network) Seminar 2025 online on Tuesday (October 1) from 09.00 to 15.00 WIB. Carrying the theme “Ecocriticism: Literature and Culture as Arenas of Negotiation,” the event was a collaborative effort between UGM’s Master’s Program in Literature and Universitas Airlangga’s Master’s Program in Literary and Cultural Studies. The seminar attracted enthusiastic participation from students of both universities.
The event was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M.Si., Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, who expressed his high appreciation for the successful organization of the seminar. “ASN serves as a space for students to cultivate academic enthusiasm and expand interdisciplinary networks. Through collaborations like this, we learn together and build a sustainable tradition of critical thinking,” said Prof. Setiadi.
In addition to the Dean, the event was also attended by Prof. Dr. Aprinus Salam, M.Hum., Head of the Master’s Program in Literature, UGM, and Edi Dwi Riyanto, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D., Head of the Master’s Program in Literary and Cultural Studies, UNAIR. Both expressed their strong support for this collaborative initiative as a means to strengthen academic networks between faculties and to provide a platform for students to further develop their research.
The seminar consisted of three sessions. The first session featured lecturers from both UGM and UNAIR as keynote speakers. From UGM, Dr. Pujiharto, S.S., M.Hum. delivered a presentation titled “A Postmodern Eco-Reading of Danarto’s Short Story ‘Kecubung Pengasihan’.” In his talk, Dr. Pujiharto explored the relationship between literature and the environment in Danarto’s work, which is rich in critiques of human anthropocentrism. “Danarto’s short story portrays the blurring of boundaries between the human and the vegetal worlds. When humans realize they are also part of nature, ecological awareness emerges as a form of spirituality,” he explained during his presentation.
Two other speakers from UNAIR’s Master’s Program in Literary and Cultural Studies, Dr. Nadya Afdholy, S.Hum., M.Pd., M.Hum. and Arum Budiastuti, S.S., M.C.S., Ph.D (Cand.), enriched the discussion with diverse perspectives. Dr. Nadya presented on ecofeminism, highlighting the interconnectedness between the exploitation of women and nature, while Arum Budiastuti discussed the concept of green halal in the context of cultural studies, examining the relationship between religious values, ethics, and the environment.
The first session was notably interactive, with several students posing insightful questions that fostered a lively and engaging academic discussion on ecological issues in literature and culture.
In the second and third sessions, the seminar continued with student research presentations. This year, ASN received over a dozen academic papers from students of both UGM and UNAIR. After a review process led by Dr. Pujiharto, four papers were selected as best papers and presented in the main session.
The four selected papers showcased diverse and thought-provoking topics. Three of them, written by students from UGM, examined ecological issues in literary works, while one paper from UNAIR analyzed ecology from a cultural perspective. Each presentation generated active discussion between presenters and participants, turning the seminar into not only a platform for sharing knowledge but also a vibrant forum for exchanging ideas.
The collaboration between UGM’s Master’s Program in Literature and UNAIR’s Master’s Program in Literary and Cultural Studies through ASN 2025 has opened meaningful opportunities for students to develop their academic work and broaden their scholarly networks. Through this event, students were not only able to present their research but also gained the potential to publish their papers, contributing to the advancement of academic discourse in literature and culture.
[Master of Literature, Marsya Kamila]
