Yogyakarta, 24 April 2025 – A collaborative meeting took place at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). Held in Meeting Room 1 of Building C, the session brought together three representatives from Oberlin College, two vice deans from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, several English literature lecturers, and other faculty members. The meeting aimed to strengthen global partnerships and explore opportunities for student engagement activities that can be conducted online.

The meeting opened with remarks from the vice deans, who emphasised the importance of international collaboration in enriching educational experiences. They highlighted how such partnerships align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in promoting quality education and global partnerships for sustainable development.

The Oberlin College representatives presented their vision for the collaboration, focusing on the potential of virtual student exchanges. They discussed various platforms and tools that could support such exchanges, enabling students from both institutions to share academic experiences and cultural insights. The initiative is intended to create a more interconnected learning environment that transcends geographical boundaries. Discussions also covered possible activities for virtual exchange, with UGM faculty suggesting programmes that highlight local content.

Beyond academic exchange, the representatives also discussed the importance of cultural exchange. They acknowledged that understanding diverse cultures is vital in today’s increasingly connected world. Plans were made to incorporate cultural components into the virtual exchange programme, allowing students to showcase their traditions and learn from one another.

In summary, the collaboration meeting between Oberlin College and the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at UGM marked a significant step toward enhancing global partnerships in education. By leveraging technology for virtual exchange, both institutions aim to offer students valuable learning experiences that transcend borders. This initiative not only supports the SDGs but also equips students to thrive in a more interconnected world.

[Public Relation Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Bulan Churniati]

Yogyakarta, 6 May 2025 — The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM), officially inaugurated Prof. Dra. Anggraeni, M.A., Ph.D. as a Professor in the field of Prehistoric Archaeology. The inauguration ceremony took place on Tuesday (6/5) from 09.00 to 10.00 WIB at the UGM Senate Hall, attended by family members, academic colleagues, and invited guests from various institutions.

In her inaugural speech titled “Adaptive Strategies in Prehistoric Societies and Their Relevance Today”, Prof. Anggraeni delivered an in-depth reflection on how prehistoric communities—particularly hunter-gatherers and early village societies—developed adaptive strategies to survive in response to various environmental and social challenges.

She emphasised that these strategies were not only shaped by regional trends that occurred thousands of years ago but were also passed down and remain recognisable in contemporary Indonesian life. “Today, we admire the beautiful, colourful woven fabrics, yet few may realise that the art of weaving in Indonesia has roots dating back at least two millennia,” she noted.

Prof. Anggraeni highlighted that weaving patterns and colours are not chosen arbitrarily; rather, they are shaped by collective social agreements that reflect local values and social structures. She cited the Sekomandi weaving tradition from Kalumpang as an example, where the motifs symbolise the human life cycle—from birth to death.

Through her inauguration, Prof. Anggraeni reaffirmed the importance of prehistoric archaeological studies in understanding cultural roots and local wisdom that remain relevant in addressing modern-day challenges. She encouraged the public to appreciate and study cultural heritage as part of a collective strategy toward a more adaptive and sustainable future.

This inauguration marks a significant milestone in Prof. Anggraeni’s academic journey, known for her extensive contributions to prehistoric research and the preservation of Indonesia’s cultural heritage.

[Public Relation Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Bulan Churniati]

Yogyakarta, 30/4/2025 – Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in order to fulfill the mid-term exam assignment for the Productive Written Javanese Language course taught by Mas Imam Prakoso, students of Language, Literature, and Culture class of 2024 visited the Jogja Archives Diorama. The Jogja Archives Diorama is located at Jl. Janti No.Lt. 1, Banguntapan District, Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta.

The Jogja Archives Diorama displays archives that have a long historical connection from the land of Yogyakarta, namely from the era of Panembahan Senopati to the present day. The archives on display are of various forms, from those in textual form, photographs, audiovisuals, and others. These archives are managed and exhibited with the aim that the general public can learn lessons related to the history of the Special Region of Yogyakarta.

To enter the Jogja Archives Diorama building, students must pay a fee of Rp20,000.00. Meanwhile, the general public must pay IDR 30,000.00, and foreign tourists IDR 100,000.00. If you bring a group of more than 20 people, not all of them can enter at once. When entering the room, all 44 students and 1 lecturer were divided into 2 groups and 2 sessions.

Of the 44 students of the 2024 class, there were some who had never visited this exhibition before. “When entering the diorama room, it was the first time I saw a fairly complete archive from the Mataram Kingdom era to the present era, each room was explained in detail by the officer, and the most interesting thing is that this place is very suitable for students of Literature, History, Anthropology, and other social science clusters, because there are so many sources of information related to the science that can be studied by students in these departments,” said Ma’ruf, one of the students who was visiting the Yogyakarta Archive Diorama for the first time.

The most interesting thing according to Ma’ruf was that when entering the first room, the students were immediately greeted with animations from the Mataram Kingdom era. There it is explained how the Mataram Kingdom was formed, then when entering the last room there is a simulation or depiction of the 2006 Bantul Earthquake, there visitors feel as if they felt the vibrations of the earthquake when the earthquake occurred. With this interactive diorama, it is hoped that students and the general public will be more enthusiastic about appreciating and exploring the history of their own hometown.

[Public Relation of Javanese Literature, Haryo Untoro]

Yogyakarta, 30/4/2025 – As part of the assignment for the Javanese Literature Treasury course taught by Mrs. Dra. Wiwien Widyawati Rahayu, M.A., Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students from the class of 2024 visited the Lajang Watjan (re: Layang Wacan) exhibition located at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta. This assignment began with a group assignment. The groups that were formed departed individually, because there were still 2 days left of the exhibition, namely the 18th and 19th.

In the exhibition, what students observed were various books and manuscripts. After observing, students chose one material object to reveal its contents. One of them is Babad Pagedongan. In addition to revealing the contents of the book or manuscript, there was also a 1-minute short video assignment as proof that students had visited the exhibition. In addition to books, there were old manuscripts displayed on the walls and could not be touched because of their age. However, there were still many new manuscripts placed on the exhibition table and could be read.

“It’s actually interesting, the nuance is vintage and ancient but unfortunately not all of them can be opened,” concluded David Sofyan, one of the students who visited the exhibition. The books or manuscripts that caught his attention the most were those that discussed primbon, some of these manuscripts were even in Javanese script.

David was interested in manuscripts or books that discussed primbon because in his hometown, the use of primbon is still very closely related to all aspects of the community’s life. Examples of activities that still use primbon to calculate good and bad days are weddings, agriculture, and other events. This can then be studied and compared with modern sciences in today’s era. For example, is the relationship between good and bad days for agriculture in primbon still relevant to the science studied by our friends in the faculty of agriculture. The next question that can be asked is whether Javanese society with its titen science can still be implemented in today’s era, and whether it is linear or in line with the science discovered by modern foreign scientists.

David said that the exhibition was fun, like a vacation because he went around looking at ancient manuscripts, and the nuances were very supportive in terms of arrangement and lighting. “It’s like stepping back in time to when these manuscripts were written,” he said.

[Public Relation of Javanese Literature, Haryo Untoro]

Yogyakarta, 30/4/2025 – Never losing its fun, day by day, the Codicology lectures feel more and more enjoyable. Including Monday, April 21, 2025 yesterday. In this eleventh meeting, Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture students of the 2023 class were invited to practice stamping and sealing.

However, before practicing making stamps, students listened to material about the use of stamps and sealings in letters from the past. A letter stamp itself is a printed image, writing, or a combination of both on a letter or other important document. Its function is as a marker/identifying symbol that represents a person or group to indicate validity. In addition, a letter stamp also functions as a guarantee of the integrity (seal) of a letter. Materials that can be used for letter stamps are wax, clay, soot, or ink.

A stamp is a tool with a surface carved with images, writing, or both that produces a stamp. The stamp material is made of hard materials such as metal or stone and elastic materials such as rubber. The shape of the stamp surface varies widely, it can be round, square, oval, hexagonal and other shapes such as flowers and swords. Meanwhile, the shape of the handle can be a grip or ring.

In addition, there is an explanation of the meaning of the position of the stamp in the letter. For example, the stamp of letters in Batavia made by the Dutch is located on the right side of the letter near the beginning of the text. The placement of the stamp position like this shows that the position of the sender of the letter is higher than the recipient. The position of the letter stamp that is above and parallel indicates a partnership or with the same position. While a lower position, such as below the text of the letter indicates that the sender’s position is lower.

In this lecture, in addition to being introduced to the meaning of stamps and sealings in the past, students are also invited to practice making stamps with materials and tools provided by the lecturer. Thus, students can learn and know about making stamps.

[Public Relation of Javanese Literature, Haryo Untoro]

Source:

Kumar, Ann dan John H. McGlynn (ed). (1996). Illumination: The Writing Traditions of Indonesia. Jakarta: Yayasan Lontar

Mu’jizah. (2009). Iluminasi dalam Surat-Surat Melayu Abad ke-18 dan ke-19. Jakarta: Kapustakaan Gramedia Populer (KGP).

Mulyadi, Sri Wulan Rujiati. (1994). Kodikologi Melayu di Indonesia II. Depok: Lembaran Sastra Fakultas Sastra Universitas Indonesia.