Wednesday, July 31, 2024, marked a historic day for the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) with the opening of Pionir Kampung Budaya 2024. The event was held in the front yard of the Margono Building, commonly known as Greenland, and was celebrated with great enthusiasm.

The event was officially opened by Prof. Setiadi, Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM. In his speech, Prof. Setiadi introduced the vice deans, heads of study programs, and unit coordinators at FIB UGM. “I hope the students get to know the people who will assist them during their studies at FIB UGM,” said Prof. Setiadi. This introduction aimed to create a closer and more familiar relationship between students and the faculty, fostering a conducive and supportive learning environment.

The event’s excitement continued with various performances from semi-autonomous bodies (BSO) of FIB UGM. Among them were Sastra Oebah with a captivating theater performance, Rampoe with energetic traditional Acehnese dances, and Buchaechum showcasing the elegant and mesmerizing Korean fan dance.

Another highlight was a cultural discussion session featuring Prof. Bambang Hudayana as the speaker. This discussion covered current issues in the cultural world and how students can actively participate in the preservation and development of local culture. This session served as an inspirational moment that motivated students to delve deeper into and appreciate the cultural wealth they possess.

Additionally, there was a sharing session with successful alumni from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences. There was also a session led by Mrs. Erika Purnawati, S.Kom., M.Cs., about the administrative procedures for borrowing rooms and facilities at FIB UGM.

The Opening of Pionir Kampung Budaya 2024 was not only an introduction and entertainment event but also a means to strengthen the relationship between students and the faculty and enrich cultural insights. With high spirits, it is hoped that FIB UGM students will continue to contribute to preserving and developing Indonesian culture.

Decolonization is an important issue that continues to be studied in the social sciences these days. The effort to break away from Western hegemony, which is a legacy of colonialism, is a long road that is being traveled, especially for Global North thinkers. This effort was also evident in a forum entitled Who Can Speak and What We Can Speak About held at AAS, Gadjah Mada University, July 11, 2024.

In this forum, there were 6 speakers who presented their research results. The common threads of the presentations were about the fate of others, the struggle for human rights, and efforts to uncover the Global North-Global South power relations.

The first speaker was Lili Chen from the National University of East Timor. In her presentation, she explained the dynamics of life for LGBT people in Timor Leste. After independence from Indonesia, LGBT people in Timor Leste are quite progressive. Compared to Indonesia, this group is also much more accepted. This can be seen from the Pride Parade that they can participate in in Dili every year. However, this does not mean that their lives are completely safe. In a country with a highly religious Christian population, LGBT people are still discriminated against. However, there are efforts made by LGBT people to negotiate this. For example, they try to continue to explore pre-colonial local culture, which actually also recognizes the concept of gender outside heteronormativity.

Still related to gender issues, Carol Rodriguez Bello Dawonlay from the University of Philippines, discussed various indigenous women’s groups in the Philippines against child marriage and gender violence. Meanwhile, Anna Christi Suwardi from Mae Fah Luang University, also discussed the role of women in efforts to resolve conflicts in Southern Thailand.

Faryal Khan from the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC) discussed the military conflict in South Waziristan, Pakistan. According to Khan, the conflict involving the state and various tribes became prolonged, because the state took a military approach to resolve it.

Faryal Khan’s presentation was also linked to that of Amjad Hassan from the National University of Modern Language Peshawar. Hassan, who is also from Pakistan, criticized the state’s approach to resolving various violent conflicts in Pakistan. According to Hassan, Pakistani policymakers, think tanks and intellectuals still take a Western approach, especially the realist, positivistic and capitalist modernity approach. This is highly ineffective as Pakistan will always fail to address the root cause of all modern conflicts, which is actually the West itself. According to Hassan, the West, especially America, is the elephant in the room that has failed to be identified. Therefore, it is important to map the extent of their interests behind these violent conflicts.

Meanwhile, Gopale Amarnath discussed the problem of health facilities in the Gadchiroli region of Maharashtra, India, which is an area of conflict between the government and left-wing extremists. According to Amarnath, the presence of these extremist groups has made the region discriminated in terms of health policy. Amarnath expressed concern about the poor health facilities and lack of doctors in the area. In addition, the lack of child care facilities, maternal delivery, and proper buildings, also complicates the problem. Moreover, the military also often enters hospitals or health centers to conduct inspections, which makes health workers worried.

In general, the forum also discussed research methods based on the spirit of decolonization. There are at least three points that researchers who go into the field should do. First, they should listen more. Second, research must be based on consent, or the agreement of both parties. Third, do no harm, or do not hurt the physical and emotional well-being of the group being visited.  This forum is very important because it shows how field research methods can explore problems in depth, but also based on empathy for affected communities. This is also a form of decolonization, especially of anthropological research methods that used to objectify the indigenous population. Decolonization is not only a result, but also a process.

Author: Ari Bagus Panuntun

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.

Yogyakarta, 12 July 2024 – The Office of Public Relations, News, and Protocol of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) successfully held a sharing session themed “Strategic Content Development of Universitas Gadjah Mada” today. The event which lasted from 12.00 to 16.00 WIB was attended by UGM public relations, news, and protocol staff in Multimedia Room 1, 3rd Floor of the North Wing, UGM Central Building.

The speakers who attended this session included Dr. Tirta Mandira Hudhi, M.B.A., Winda Pratiwi, Farchan Noor Rachman, and Mohamad Ryan Saputra. They provided various insights and strategies in strategic content development for UGM such as recognizing audiences through data interpretation, as well as content planning and development. 

Previously, the organizers had invited all relevant staff to participate in this activity, which aims to strengthen the public relations function on campus. The University Secretariat would like to thank all participants for their attention and participation.

In today’s increasingly complex and interconnected world, energy and environmental challenges have become global issues that cannot be solved with a single approach. This phenomenon requires a broader, interdisciplinary approach. While our education and academic practices often stick to the boundaries of established disciplines, it is increasingly clear that solutions to these problems require collaboration across fields. Many academics now recognize that the integration of ideas from different disciplines is key to tackling these complex challenges more effectively. They realize that no single discipline can provide all the necessary answers.

In this context, this roundtable panel aimed to observe and explore the value of interdisciplinary approaches. Panelists discussed how perspectives from different disciplines can be used synergistically to analyze and address energy and environmental challenges. The ultimate goal is to create effective strategies to observe and resolve these issues, with the hope of building a sustainable future for generations to come. By combining knowledge and methodologies from different fields, it is hoped that this interdisciplinary approach will pave the way for more holistic and integrated innovative solutions. This activity was held on July 9th, 2024 at 9.00 am – 10.30