On Wednesday July 17th, 2024, Pura Pakualaman held a traditional ceremony of Labuhan at Glagah Beach, Glagah Sub-district, Kapanewon Temon, Kulon Progo Regency, Yogyakarta. This Labuhan ceremony is held every 10 Muharram or 10 Sura. Together with a lecturer and servant of Pura Pakualaman, Dr. Ratna Saktimulya, M.Hum., as many as 20 students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) had the opportunity to follow the Labuhan traditional procession.

In its implementation, there are special provisions in the form of clothing that must be worn by students. The students’ clothes are traditional Pranakan clothes and jarit, while the female students’ clothes are kebaya and jarit. The participants gathered at 06.00 WIB at Pura Pakualaman before continuing the journey to Pesanggrahan Glagah by bus. Once there, students followed a series of ceremonies and blessings. The Ubarampe that had been prayed for was then paraded, and the participants followed it to Joglo Labuhan. Some gunungan are then thrown into the sea.

The procurement of this Labuhan tradition is a form of gratitude to God Almighty, praying for the ancestors, and hoping for safety, health, and prosperity for the community. For students, the Labuhan tradition at Glagah Beach is a golden opportunity to dive directly into and understand this fair form of Javanese culture. This direct cultural experience and interaction is expected to be a means of developing their scientific competence.

Thus, the opportunity given by Pura Pakualaman to the students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program is a real effort to build understanding as well as steps to preserve Javanese culture.

The public lecture entitled “Exploring The Narratives of Indonesian Ex-migrations to Taiwan” was successfully held on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at the Margono Building on the 2nd floor of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada from 10:00 to 12:00 WIB. The event, which was open to the public, was attended by lecturers and students of the faculty who have an interest in the topic of international migration. A question and answer session was held directly during the presentation of the material, providing an opportunity for participants to interact with the speaker. The speaker in this public lecture was an international student who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Lithuania. This public lecture discussed several important aspects related to Indonesian migration to Taiwan. The topics explained in accordance with the title are Migration Background, Migration History, Migrant Experience, Identity and Community, Success Stories and Difficulties, Role of Media and Narratives, Policy and Support, Social and Economic Interaction, and Comparison with Migration to Other Countries.

The moral panic in the West over migration reflects the psychological state of society in which certain phenomena are perceived as threats to social values and interests. In this context, the moral panic about migration in the West is mounting and increasing, seen in cases such as the US-Mexico border, migrant boats heading to Europe and Australia, and the “green border” from Belarus to EU countries. Migration is often seen as a threat to Western culture and values, particularly to the liberal democratic order. In addition, migration is also considered a tool or weapon used by authoritarian regimes. The difficulty in controlling migration and reaching a common agreement among EU countries adds to the complexity of the issue, making it a political topic that divides nationalists and multiculturalists. In contemporary Western discourse, migration is often perceived as something that happens outside of government control. The public feels that government control only comes after migration has occurred, especially in terms of how to organize and integrate migrants, with a general sensation that Europe is like a train that has gone off the track. In Southeast Asia, migration does not seem to generate the same moral panic. This may be because migration regimes are more well-structured to meet market and societal needs, and migration is perceived and communicated not as a problem, but as a solution to the country’s underlying problems.

Lithuania’s migration trends show complex and diverse dynamics. Initially, migration flows from Lithuania to countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway were dominated by economic migrants working in factories with challenging conditions or in domestic care. Children of this generation were often raised by their grandparents, while remittances from migrants were used to build houses. However, negative images of migrants developed, associating them with low-quality work, betrayal of the state, and bad stereotypes such as the image of a plane full of drunk migrants returning to Lithuania. On the other hand, positive images of migrants began to emerge, emphasizing the experience and better lifestyle they had gained. Efforts to change the image of migrants and counter stereotypes are made through various programs, such as the Lithuanian government’s “Global Lithuania” aimed at migrant reintegration and diaspora relations (2012-2021) and the “Strategic Guidelines for the Lithuanian Diaspora Policy for 2022-2030.” In addition, the television show “(Ne)migrantal” emphasizes the shift from mere survival to achieving quality of life and personal success. The program aims to challenge the negative image of Lithuanian migrants and show the difference between long-time migrants and those currently seeking entry into the EU. The trend of migrants returning to the homeland also emerges when the economy improves, despite its repeated and failed referendums on dual citizenship. It is hoped that these topics will provide a comprehensive picture of Indonesians’ migration experience to Taiwan and the impact it has on both sides.

The UGM Archaeologist Team held a “Mejan Milik Kita” Workshop on Monday, July 15, 2024 at Balai Sada Arih, SINDEKA Complex. This workshop discussed topics related to the conservation of mejan findings that are widely owned by Pakpak Bharat Regency and also discussed related to community-based cultural heritage preservation. Pakpak Bharat is one of the regions in North Sumatra Province that has many potentials, such as natural, cultural, and archaeological potentials. The UGM Archaeologist Team has conducted research to determine the distribution of archaeological potential in the form of mejan in Pagindar District and several other areas around Salak District. This research is a follow-up research to the previous research conducted in 2023. The interesting thing that was done in this research was targeting the potential of nature to become a leading tourist destination in Pakpak Bharat Regency in addition to digging deeper related to archaeological remains in the form of mejan.

UGM Archaeologist Team Coordinator, Mimi Savitri, M. A., Ph. D., said that “Pakpak Bharat, especially Pagindar Sub-district which yesterday became the object of research, has the potential of an extraordinarily interesting area to be developed in the future, ranging from archaeological remains to natural potential”. On this occasion, representatives of the district government represented by the Regional Secretary, Jalan Berutu, S.Pd., M. M. warmly welcomed and gave full support to the running of research in the Pakpak Bharat area. He also said “Great appreciation for the cooperation between the Pakpak Bharat Regency Government and Gadjah Mada University so that hopefully this will be the first step that can be used as a basis for the promotion and development of the Pakpak Bharat region,” he added.

In this workshop activity, 2 resource persons were presented, namely Dr. Mahirta, M. A who is a lecturer in the Archaeology Study Program at Gadjah Mada University, where in his presentation he discussed stone conservation. This material aims to provide knowledge to the wider community in Pakpak Bharat Regency represented by attendees from various circles ranging from school students, teachers, village heads, sub-district heads, traditional leaders, and representatives of community institutions engaged in cultural development. Of course, understanding related to stone conservation is a provision that must be owned by every element of society, given the many potentials in the form of mejans scattered throughout the Pakpak Bharat region. Then, the second speaker, Mimi Savitri, M. A. Ph. D. explained the topic related to the preservation of community-based cultural heritage so that in this case it emphasizes good cooperation in the community for the sake of preserving the cultural heritage owned. She said that, “The community is at the forefront and closest around the object of cultural heritage, so it is necessary to have knowledge related to the preservation of cultural heritage and good cooperation in it so that the value of the object is not lost, and the existing heritage can survive for future generations”.

The workshop went well because of the active participation of the participants in conveying their ideas. One of them came from a high school student representative named Sodik who said that, “As a young generation, we should love and have a sense of pride in our cultural heritage so that it can prevent our culture from being claimed by others”. In addition, issues related to the preservation and development of cultural heritage were also raised. One of them was conveyed by Budi Rasmianto Berutu, S. T., M. AP., as a representative of the regional cultural institution, “The potential possessed by Pakpak Bharat, especially the Pagindar area, is an extraordinary asset. However, we need an easy access road so that tourists will easily reach the Pagindar area. In addition, we also want assistance for tourism publications in the form of promotions on social media and in the form of booklets so that when there are tourists who will come to Pakpak Bharat, it will be easy to know what tourist destinations can be visited according to their interests.” The audience also agreed with what was said. Furthermore, there were many inputs from the stakeholders present, where knowledge related to mejan also needs to be given to school materials so that it can foster a sense of love and belonging to the cultural heritage owned by the region.

This activity was closed with the delivery of conclusions by Plt. Head of Pakpak Bharat Tourism and Culture Office, Maranatha M. Padang, S. Pd., M. Si., “Once again, I greatly appreciate the research that has been carried out by the UGM Archaeology Team and to the attendees who have attended this opportunity. Hopefully, what is obtained today can be conveyed to the wider community so that the existing knowledge can be known to more people. I hope that cooperation can be maintained among the community in maintaining and preserving the culture that we have so that the cultural heritage in Pakpak Bharat will continue to be sustainable, Lias Ate, Njuah – Njuah Banta Karina “.

Author: Resti Wulandari, S. Ark.

Saturday, July 20th, 2022, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, was invited to participate in the closing ceremony of the Summer Course program between UGM, Victoria University, and the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta. The event was held in the Dean’s Building of the Faculty of Arts, Media, and Recording, ISI Yogyakarta, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM Western Indonesian Time. The closing ceremony began with an opening speech from Mr. Kiernan, a representative from Victoria University, followed by an opening speech from Dr. Edial Rusli, S.E., M.Sn, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Media, and Recording, ISI Yogyakarta. The event was enlivened by video presentations from each group. As we know, the output of this activity was a short video about their journey in Yogyakarta. Each group presented diverse videos, ranging from the process of making traditional apem cakes, visits to Malioboro and Beringharjo Market, and musical collaborations.

After the official closing, the event continued with a group photo session to capture the moments of togetherness among the participants, the committee, and the lecturers. This group photo was taken inside the Dean’s Building of the Faculty of Arts, Media, and Recording, ISI Yogyakarta, in a friendly atmosphere.

Next, all participants were invited to enjoy a dinner prepared by the committee. The dishes served included various Indonesian specialties such as pastel and solo sausage. This dinner together was not only a moment to enjoy local cuisine but also an opportunity to chat, share stories, and strengthen relationships among participants from various universities and cultural backgrounds.

The dinner was accompanied by traditional music, adding to the warm and friendly atmosphere. The entire series of closing events went smoothly and left a deep impression on all participants. They not only gained new knowledge and experiences but also beautiful memories that will always be remembered throughout their lives.

In an effort to improve the achievement of Key Performance Indicators, especially in point five of the publication field, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences organizes various research publication facilitation programs. One of the programs held is Publication Assistance through the “PAPERING TOGETHER” Program. The program aims to accelerate the publication process both in reputable international journals and accredited national journals through a mentoring process with mentors. Program participants are lecturers who already have a draft article with a 75% completion value. Articles included in this program have gone through a review process and during the program participants can consult with mentors.

In 2024, the Research and Publication Unit organized the “MENYEPI BERSAMA” Program in two batches. The first batch was held on July 15-19, 2024 at Grand Edge Hotel, Semarang and the second batch was held on July 22-26, 2024 at Oak Tree Emerald Hotel, Semarang by presenting mentors according to their fields of expertise such as culture, literature, history, and linguistics. The mentors who support this program are Prof. Dr. Pujo Semedi Hargo Yuwono, Prof. Dr. Faruk, Prof. Dr. Setiadi, Prof. Dr. Bambang Hudayana, Dr. Agus Suwignyo, M.A., and Dr. Sajarwa, M.Hum. and the number of participants who take part in this program is 20 people. By participating in this program, participants are expected to be able to complete the article and the article is ready to be submitted to the target journal.