A solemn and proud atmosphere filled the Multimedia Room of the Margono Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada. This special moment marked the success of two academics from the Indonesian Literature Study Program, Department of Indonesian Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts (FBS), Universitas Negeri Medan (Unimed)—Wahyu Wiji Astuti, S.S., M.A. and Muhammad Hafidz Assalam, S.S., M.A.—who officially earned their Doctoral degrees in Humanities. Their presence drew the attention of the academic community as, in addition to being fellow lecturers in the same department, they are a married couple.
During the public doctoral defense, Wahyu Wiji Astuti defended her dissertation titled “Pembentukan Subjek dan Identitas dalam Kumpulan Cerpen Malim Pesong: Kajian Psikoanalisis Lacan” (Subject Formation and Identity in the Short Story Collection Malim Pesong: A Lacanian Psychoanalytic Study). Supervised by Prof. Dr. Pujiharto, S.S., M.Hum., her research explores the dynamics of identity formation and subject psychology in literary works through Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic approach, particularly within the context of North Sumatra’s multicultural society.
Meanwhile, her husband, Muhammad Hafidz Assalam, was supervised by Professor of Literature and Gender at FIB UGM, who also serves as Vice Rector for Education and Learning at UGM, Prof. Dr. Wening Udasmoro, S.S., M.Hum., DEA. He presented his research titled “Narasi Feminin Pada Cerpen Perempuan Tahun 2020-an: Kompleksitas dan Ambiguitas Tubuh Perempuan” (Feminine Narratives in Women’s Short Stories of the 2020s: Complexity and Ambiguity of the Female Body), which highlights gender representation, female body dynamics, and feminist discourse in contemporary Indonesian short stories of the 2020s decade.
The Dean and the board of examiners of FIB UGM expressed high appreciation for the academic achievements of both doctoral candidates. Successfully defending their dissertations simultaneously before the UGM board of examiners under the guidance of prominent promoters is expected to strengthen literary research synergy, increase scientific publications, and bring a positive impact to the development of teaching at the Department of Indonesian Language and Literature, Unimed.
[Humas FIB, Maylafaizza Nafisha Zifa]
