The Department of History at UGM’s Faculty of Cultural Sciences, in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam and Sound and Vision (Beeld en Geluid), is hosting a summer program titled Re:Sound (Restituting, Reconnecting, Reimagining Sound Heritage). The program will take place at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, from July 6–10, 2026, and will be attended by students from Gadjah Mada University and the University of Amsterdam. The program’s opening ceremony will be held in Room 709 of the Soegondo Building on Monday, July 6, 2026.

The program was opened by Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, S.S., M.Hum., Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, and Dr. Abdul Wahid, Head of the Department of History. They extended a warm welcome and congratulated the students and all participants involved in the program. Dr. Sri Margana, S.S., M.Hum., and Barbara Titus from Jaap Kunst Collection then took the floor to outline the introduction and objectives of the Re:Sound program, which serves as a collective platform for participants to critically examine the legacy of sound archives, their origins, ownership, and curatorial agency.

The opening of this program marks the start of a series of intensive activities combining in-class discussion sessions and site visits. The series of site visits took place at the Sonobudoyo Museum, the Ullen Sentalu Museum, and the Lokananta Museum. Through a combination of academic lectures in the classroom and visits to these cultural preservation institutions, the Re:Sound Summer Program is expected to spark new discourse among young people across nations regarding the importance of restitution, connectivity, and reimagining sound heritage. This international collaboration also reaffirms FIB UGM’s commitment to supporting academic internationalization and cultural preservation.

[Humas FIB, Maylafaizza Nafisha Zifa]

YOGYAKARTA — On 6 July 2026, the Indonesian Language and Literature Programme at UGM, Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia (KPG), Bentara Budaya and ELTI Jogja organised a literary discussion entitled “From Reporting to Literary Works”. The event, which featured the writer and journalist Linda Christanty, also included a presentation by Prof. Dr Aprinus Salam, a professor who analysed her works. The discussion was attended by around 50 participants in the Multimedia Room, Margono Building, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

The discussion was attended by around 50 participants in the Multimedia Room, Margono Building, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

One of the most interesting points raised in this discussion was Linda’s concern regarding publishers’ interest in her latest works. In today’s publishing industry, literary works based on serious and weighty humanitarian reporting are often considered to lack commercial appeal or to struggle to break into the mainstream market.

Although this presents both an obstacle and a challenge, Linda remains steadfast in her idealism. “Even if no one is interested yet, it will still be published so that the next generation can read and discover other short stories,” she said.

Linda’s strong commitment suggests that she will continue to produce works of literature. Through her field reporting, she aims to demonstrate that historical facts and dark humanitarian issues can be transformed into powerful literary narratives. A concrete example of this can be found in her short story entitled “A Dead Dog in Bala Murghab”.

Author: Humas FIB, Zaidan Abdurrahman

Yogyakarta, July 6, 2026 — Writer and journalist Linda Christanty shared her experience crafting human-interest stories based on reporting during the discussion “From Reporting to Literary Works,” held in the Multimedia Room, Margono, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, on Monday (July 6, 2026). This discussion was organized by the Indonesian Language and Literature Program and Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia (KPG), in collaboration with Bentara Budaya and ELTI Jogja. The event, attended by more than 50 people—including students, academics, and community members—was moderated by Nafiis Anshaari, and Prof. Dr. Aprinus Salam contributed to the discussion by analyzing a short story by Linda Christanty titled “A Dog Dies in Bala Murghab.”

Linda is widely known for her renowned journalistic works, and on this occasion, she also expressed her concerns regarding publishers’ interest in her work. “Even though no one has shown interest yet, it will still be published so that the new generation can read and discover other short stories,” said Linda, emphasizing her commitment to continue bringing literary works to the public even though the challenges of publishing are not always easy.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Aprinus Salam also shared a story about his encounter with Linda’s works. “I’ve known her for a long time; it all started with Linda’s short stories that appeared in *Kompas*, and we followed and read them back then,” he said, describing how Linda’s writings in the mass media had become required reading among academics since their very inception.

The discussion also touched on how literary works can emerge from journalism, citing Seno Gumira’s idea in “When Journalism Is Silenced, Literature Must Speak” as one of the references. From there, the forum delved deeper into the connection between the worlds of journalism and literature—how reporting and facts can be transformed into narratives, while also serving as a bridge for a new generation to discover a variety of short stories that have not yet received much exposure. The discussion concluded with the presentation of commemorative gifts to the two speakers, followed by the awarding of Gramedia gift cards—provided by Bentara Budaya—to the two speakers and five lucky audience members who asked questions, and finally, a group photo.

This spirit aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on quality education—which promotes literacy access for the younger generation—and SDG 17 on partnerships to achieve common goals, where collaboration involving Bentara Budaya, KPG, ELTI Jogja, academics, and even the discussion participants—working in synergy—is key to expanding access to literacy and ensuring the continued presence of literary works within the community.

Author: G Nathania Yolanda & Lina (沈孟樺)

The Japanese Student Association (HIMAJE) of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held Kizuna Camp 2026 on 20–21 June 2026 at Villa Joglo Tanjung, Kalasan, Yogyakarta. The internal event, attended by HIMAJE members from different academic years, aimed to strengthen relationships among students, foster solidarity, and cultivate a stronger sense of family and togetherness within the organization.

Throughout the two-day program, participants took part in a variety of activities designed to enhance teamwork, communication, and coordination in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. The program included games, group discussions, morning exercise, outbound activities, and a shared dinner. The event was also attended by lecturers from the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program, who had the opportunity to interact with students in an informal setting, further strengthening the relationship between lecturers and students beyond the classroom.

Through Kizuna Camp 2026, HIMAJE UGM hopes to foster a more harmonious, active, and united student organization. In addition to providing an opportunity for members to get to know one another better and share organizational experiences, the program is expected to strengthen students’ sense of belonging to HIMAJE and support the sustainability of its future programs.

Author: Prodi Bahasa dan Kebudayaan Jepang

Tuesday (7/7/2026) was a joyful day for the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Yosephin Apriastuti Rahayu, S.S., M.Hum., a lecturer in the field of Old Javanese and Middle Javanese philology, successfully earned a doctoral degree after undergoing a public doctoral defense at Universiteit Leiden.

In her dissertation entitled Learning from the Scribes: A Study of the Old Javanese Uttarakāṇḍa from the Merapi-Merbabu Tradition, Yosephin examines Uttarakāṇḍa, an Old Javanese prose literary work that constitutes the seventh book of the Rāmāyaṇa. The research focuses on four Uttarakāṇḍa manuscripts from the Merapi-Merbabu and Balinese tradition collections to understand how scribes copied, preserved, and transmitted these manuscripts.

Through this research, Mrs. Apriastuti found that the process of manuscript copying is not merely copying the text, but involves a series of activities, such as reading, remembering, reflecting, dictating, and rewriting the contents of the manuscript. The research also shows differences in orthographic systems as well as writing variations influenced by their respective traditions and cultures. These findings help identify copying errors while supporting efforts to reconstruct a textual form that is closer to the original manuscript. In addition, this research demonstrates differences in characteristics between the Merapi-Merbabu writing tradition and the Balinese tradition.

After presenting the results of her research, Mrs. Apriastuti answered various questions from the examiners. The discussion covered several topics, including the role of the Merapi-Merbabu manuscript tradition as a link between Classical Javanese culture and the Javanese and Balinese traditions, the development of writing systems from the Old Javanese period to the modern Javanese script, as well as the cultural and literary relationships among the Sanskrit, Old Javanese, and Balinese traditions.

Yosephin’s success in earning a doctoral degree also constitutes an important contribution to the development of Old Javanese philological studies. The research not only enriches the understanding of the manuscript tradition in the Indonesian archipelago, but also supports efforts to preserve written cultural heritage, particularly Old Javanese manuscripts, which serve as important sources for understanding the history, literature, and culture of Indonesia.

Author: Bahasa dan Sastra Kebudayaan Jawa