On Monday, 27 November 2023, the Tourism Study Programme of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada (Tourism Study Programme FIB UGM) received a guest visit from Management and Science University Malaysia (MSU). This visit is part of the University Visit activity which is held with the main purpose of conducting a comparative study between the Tourism Study Programmes of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM and MSU Malaysia.

The forum began with a warm welcome from Wiwik Sushartami, a representative of the UGM Tourism study programme, which was then followed by remarks from Nur Amirah, who represented MSU as a substitute for the dean. The first session of the schedule started with a brief presentation on the profile of Management and Science University (MSU). In this session, Mrs Nur Amirah gave a comprehensive overview of MSU (what is MSU, how is their remark in Malaysian education etc). Furthermore, the forum continued with art performances (dancing and singing) from MSU students. This art performance’s purpose entirely covers the richness of Malaysian culture.The next session from MSU was followed by an in-depth presentation on Malaysian culture delivered by their students.

After that, the Tourism Study Programme of FIB UGM introduced its study programme, including the profiles of several teaching staff who play a role in the formation of the next generation in the field of tourism. Interesting information was also delivered through presentations about Pancoh Tourism Village and Jogja Philosophical Axis by Tourism Study Programme students.

The QnA session was the highlight of the interaction between the students of Tourism Study Programme of FIB UGM and MSU. In this session, there were a lot of interesting questions asked by both Tourism study programme students and MSU students. Both sides showed great interest in each other’s culture. In closing, the University Visit ended with a group photo session and a short campus tour, giving a positive final impression and strengthening the relationship between educational institutions. This event not only opened up space for academic discussions but also enriched cross-cultural experiences for all participants.

The Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage is a triennial scientific meeting that was originally organised in Manila, Philippines by the Asian Academy for Heritage Management. The 2023 Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage will be held in Gwangju, South Korea, which is the 5th conference since it was first held in 2011. Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage 2023 with the theme “The Ocean Decade Challenges and the Maritime Cultural Heritage of Asia -Pacific” has a discussion panel session related to hot issues regarding the study of maritime heritage and underwater archaeology within the Asia-Pacific.

At this year’s conference, there were 26 panel sessions with researchers, academics and students from 40 countries with 300 participants presenting their research in maritime studies and underwater archaeological heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. Not only presenting, the researchers also published their research in the conference proceedings. In participating in the Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage 2023, a Master student of the Department of Archaeology (Muslim Dimas Khoiru Dhony) was awarded as The Best Student Paper with a paper entitled Underwater Archaeological Remains in Matano Lake, South of Sulawesi, Indonesia: Evidence of Iron Age Civilisation in session 15 on The Archaeology of Submerged Landscapes and Inland Waters. The paper is the result of research conducted by the National Archaeological Research Centre (now BRIN) for 6 years in collaboration with researchers who focus on each field to examine the development of the Iron Age in Lake Matano. The activity is also an effort to carry out Sustainable Development Programs (SDGs) such as SDG 4 (Quality Education) Culture, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) Culture, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) Cultural Heritage, and Community and Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Department of Anthropology, Gadjah Mada University is again holding a Meniti Karir talk show entitled “Anthropology in Banking Economics”. This event will be held on Friday, November 10 2023 at the Multimedia Room, Fl. 2 Gd Margono, FIB, UGM. This event is open to Cultural Anthropology Students to provide students with insight into the various careers they can choose after graduating from college.

With the theme of Banking Economics, the Anthropology Department presented Reza Rachmadianto as Vice President of Special Asset Management PT. Bank Mandiri as a speaker at this event. Reza is also an alumnus of UGM Anthropology. Dr. Atik Triratnawati a lecturer in Anthropology at UGM was the trigger for this discussion.

This event began with a presentation session by Reza and continued with a question and answer session. In the final session of this event, Reza gave gifts in the form of electronic money from Livin by Mandiri to the 10 best quiz answerers. Then it closed with a group photo. We hope that this event can be useful for anthropology students in building their future careers.

Photo credit: Bonifacius Edo

Komodo National Park, as one of Indonesia’s natural treasures, has attracted the attention of tourists from all over the world. However, behind the charm of the islands and the unique fauna that reside within them, there is a deeper story about the Ata Modo tribe, which has been impacted by the rapid development of the tourism industry in the region. The Ata Modo tribe itself is a community that has inhabited the island of Komodo for a long time, even before the establishment of Komodo Island as the Komodo National Park. With the designation of Komodo National Park and the influx of tourism activities, the Ata Modo tribe experienced changes in their socio-cultural activities. One of them is the shift in the livelihood of the Ata Modo tribe.

The socio-cultural dynamics that occur in the Ata Modo tribe have been seen and investigated in the latest research by a research team that is part of the Student Creativity Program in Social Humanities Research (PKM-RSH) in 2023. This research team is called AtaModo UGM, consisting of Arif Putra Pratama (Faculty of Law 2020), Avicenna Elang (Faculty of Law 2021), An Nuur Khairune Nisa (Faculty of Cultural Sciences 2021), and Noor Risa Isnanto (Faculty of Cultural Sciences 2021). The research team was accompanied by an accompanying lecturer, namely  Dr. Dian Agung Wicaksono, S.H., LL.M. The research was conducted in approximately one week using participant observation methods, in-depth interviews, and searching for secondary sources from various literature and legislation.

The research entitled “Coercive Transformation of Indigenous Peoples: Marginalization of the Komodo Tribe Amid the Hegemony of Komodo National Park Tourism Development” seeks to find out about three things related to the social, cultural, and economic conditions of the Ata Modo tribal community. The research team succeeded in getting direct answers from the Ata Modo tribal community regarding three problem formulations. First, the Ata Modo tribe has cultural potential that can still be maintained and developed according to the needs of the Ata Modo tribe community and related parties who are interested in collaborating. By discovering the cultural potential that still exists in the Ata Modo tribe, the research team realized that this was to Koentjaraningrat’s theory regarding the seven elements of culture consisting of language, knowledge system, social organization, technology, livelihood system, belief system, and art. Second, it was discovered that until now there has been no legal determination of Komodo Village as a Customary Law Community or designation of a Traditional Village, this could result in a conflict of interest and the overriding of the traditional rights of the Ata Modo tribal community. Third, the arrival of the Komodo National Park and the tourism industry has made the Ata Modo tribal community experience a coercive transformation in social, cultural, and economic aspects.

Therefore, through this research, the PKM-RSH team hopes that these findings will provide valuable understanding and considerations for all parties involved in developing Komodo National Park tourism. In this context, special focus is given to the Ata Modo Tribe which is the center of attention, so that they can be actively involved in efforts to protect their cultural heritage and local wealth. This approach is also in line with the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 11 regarding sustainable city and community development, in which the Ata Modo Tribe, as a community that has long lived on Komodo Island, also plays an important role.

Writer: Member of the UGM PKM-RSH AtaModo Team

Sleman, (17/11/2023) – Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) held a Culture Day event to strengthen the bond between lecturers, teaching staff, and students. The Culture Day event is held once a month, every Friday in the third week.

“Culture Day has various events ranging from music performances, singing, and sports together. Some of the sports offered include ping pong, badminton, aerobic exercise, fitness, and healthy walking. (“The students also participated,” said Vice Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation and Alumni of the Faculty, Dr Mimi Savitri, M.A., at the Faculty on Friday (17/11/2023).

The Culture Day event held by FIB UGM has a special dress code, with a white basic t-shirt paired with any kind of pants. The event began with the registration of participants at 7 AM. After that, it was followed by remarks and the launching of a healthy juices program for FIB UGM residents by the Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. Furthermore, the Culture Day event was closed with sports and music for one hour from eight to nine in the morning.

“Singing accompanied by music and followed by breakfast and drinking juice so that (Culture Day participants) are healthy,” concluded Mimi.