As part of their end-of-semester assignment, Cultural Anthropology students taking the Rural Anthropology course went directly to the field, conducting research to deepen their understanding of the dynamics that occur in rural communities. In particular, the major theme researched by the students was the inequality that occurs in the village. This research was conducted in peri-urban areas around the Special Region of Yogyakarta, with the existence of a ringroad as a barrier to the definition of which area is a village area and which area is an urban area.

Throughout the lecture period, the material presented by Dr. Agung Wicaksono, M.A. as the lecturer of the course discussed a lot about the development of rural dynamics in Java – starting from the colonial era, the new order, reformation, to the present. Since the center of Indonesia’s government has always been in Java, the government’s control over villages in Java has also become a broader reflection of the government within the country. One of the impacts of government policies in rural Java is the emergence of various inequalities. Village officials had more land ownership rights than ordinary people. People who own land then have more capital to reap profits, especially when the New Order government began implementing the Green Revolution program. The landowners who benefited from the increase in capital during the green revolution were people who were influential in the village political sphere. One of the goals of the new order regime in implementing the green revolution program was to pacify the villagers, so that they would not create anti-government movements.

The traces of this inequality can still be seen in rural areas today. With the increase in the number of the newly rich (OKB) following the rise in market prices of some agricultural products in the early 2000s, wealth inequality has become increasingly visible in rural areas. For this reason, the end-of-semester assignment for this Rural Anthropology class was to go directly to the villages, to see the real situation unfolding there. The 76 students who took this class were divided into groups, each with 4-5 members. The villages visited included Hargowilis, Kokap District, Kulon Progo Regency; Gadingsari, Sanden District, Bantul Regency; and Sumber, Dukun District, Magelang Regency.

The group that went to Sumber Village, Magelang, consisted of four Cultural Anthropology students from batch 2023 – Agustina Herawati, Muhammad Syukur, Aisha Nur Fadillah, and Amadeus Abhirama. In a two-day research (November 26-27, 2024), the Sumber group tried to see how inequality arises, especially those related to gender. Sumber is a village on the slopes of Mount Merapi, with the majority of the population working as farmers. There is also a sand mining industry that has developed in recent years. From here, the Sumber group tried to see how the distribution of work and the division of tasks between the people in the village were compartmentalized between women and men. The research was conducted through in-depth interviews with residents and direct observation of the conditions around the village.

A popular annual event organized by students of the Korean Language and Culture Undergraduate Program at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Korean Days UGM returns with the title “Cue The Stage: Uncovering the Covered K-Culture” with the main concept of ‘Theater Arts’. This event has been held for two days, namely on November 9 and 10, 2024 at Gor Lembah UGM. The 19th Korean Days this time was filled with various activities that showed the exploration of other Korean cultures that were no less exciting. Various kinds of interesting activities can be felt by all visitors at the 19th Korean Days UGM this year which presents a lot of spectacular activities.

On the first day, various competitions were held. The titles of the competitions held include, “Sing Cover Competition: Call The Angel Voice”, ”Dance Cover Competition: Let The Dancers In!”, ”Fanart Competition: The Chosen Artist”, and last but not least, this year’s inaugural ”Dress-walk Competition: Spot The Camera!” where visitors were spoiled with the unique and beautiful appearance and creativity of the participants.

Continued on the second day which is the highlight of the event that will be enlivened by various performances ranging from Taekwondo martial arts performed by UKM Taekwondo UGM, and the first joint appearance by dongari (club) Language and Culture UGM which is displayed in the form of drama performances filled by Samulnori, Hancamchum, Talchum, Katarsis, and also Buchaechum.

The event was also attended by talents and competition winners, as well as the much-anticipated Random Play Dance. The main guest star performances were topped off by boy group AXE, Indonesian idol Malvin, and singer and influencer Chris Andrian.

The event ended with a night of Noraebang (Karaoke) hosted by Maze Culture. There were also traditional game and hanbok booths, Food Bazaar, and Fanart Exhibition.

The success of the 19th Korean Day cannot be separated from the support of the sponsors, namely KT&G, Korea Foundation, PT PLN (Persero), PT TKG Taekwang Indonesia, King Sejong Institute, CV Sweat Gigs Indonesia, PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk, Woori Saudara Bank, BPJS Employment, Sari Roti, BSM Rental Yogyakarta, IFrame Rental and Orent Kamera, Momu Photobooth, Belikopi, Artatix, and support from 45 media partners.

The 19th Korean Day series of events is expected to provide great benefits in introducing Korean culture in depth to the entire community. Through this activity, participants not only enjoy entertainment, but also gain insight into Korean traditions, arts, and cultural values that may not be widely known. Also, in the future, it is hoped that this event will continue to be a more inclusive and innovative platform, so that more parties can be involved. With the spirit of sustainability, Korean Day can be one of the events that not only supports cultural diplomacy, but also encourages the growth of appreciation for global culture among Indonesians.

Yogyakarta, November 14, 2024 – Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) enthusiastically welcomed the working visit of Department of Indonesian Literature, Faculty of Arts, Universitas Hasanuddin (Unhas) on November 12-13, 2024. This visit is part of the efforts to implement the cooperation between the two faculties, which covers the fields of education, research, and community service.

This activity is an important momentum for FIB UGM to strengthen synergies and explore new collaboration opportunities with Unhas. The main discussion focused on the development of the BIPA (Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers) curriculum and the formulation of joint program implementation strategies that are expected to improve the quality of teaching and student learning experiences.

The team from Unhas who attended this working visit was led by Dr. Munira Hasjim, S.S., M.Hum, Head of the Indonesian Literature Department, accompanied by Prof. Dr. Nurhayati, M.Hum, and Dr. Inriati Lewa, M.Hum. Their presence was warmly welcomed by the lecturers and academic staff of FIB UGM, as well as representatives of the Indonesian Language and Literature Study Program.

The Dean of the Faculty said that this visit was a form of the Faculty’s commitment to continue to open itself to innovative and mutually beneficial cooperation. “We really appreciate the arrival of the team from Unhas. This is a real step to implement programs that can support the achievement of the main performance indicators of the faculty, as well as strengthen collaboration between faculties,” he said.

In addition to discussions on BIPA, this visit was also a forum to exchange views related to challenges and opportunities in the development of education and research in the field of language and literature. With this meeting, FIB UGM is optimistic that it can build a more solid collaboration with FIB Unhas, which in turn will enrich academic experience and expand networks in the field of Indonesian language and literature studies.

Hello, Mahadaya!

 There is good news for those of you who take part in the SIBUYA (Breakfast at Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM) program during the Final Semester Examination (UAS) Gasal. The Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM has added an additional breakfast schedule to help maintain the spirit of students while taking UAS. The SIBUYA program will now also be held on two additional days, namely Thursday, December 5 and 12, 2024.

For this additional schedule, you can enjoy a nutritious breakfast at Selasar Soegondo. This program is presented by POTMA FIB UGM, with the hope of providing extra energy and enthusiasm for Mahadaya during the exam.

Don’t miss this opportunity to start the day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast! A healthy life starts with a fit body, and breakfast is an important key to facing exam challenges.

Keep your spirits up, Mahadaya, enjoy your SIBUYA, and have a successful UAS!

– FACULTY OF CULTURAL SCIENCES UGM

The Ethnography of the Papua Region lecture in the last week was held on November 18, 2024 at 16.00 WIB. Prof. Dr. Setiadi, M.Si. and Dr. Muh.Zamzam Fauzanafi, M.A. as the lecturers of the class presented Dr. Simon Abdi K. Frank, M.Si. who is a lecturer in Social Anthropology from Cenderawasih University, Jayapura. The meeting was conducted through a zoom meeting. The lecture began with an introduction to ethnography by discussing universal things, one of which is through the evolution of biology and culture so that phenotypes / visible characteristics are found which are categorized by the characteristics of the negroid race.

Questions and answers also took place, Dr. Simon showed a map of Papua and students were asked to guess what the map looked like. Some students mentioned that the map looked like a cassowary bird, some also mentioned that it looked like a dinosaur, kiwi bird, this made students and lecturers in the class discuss with each other. In addition, he also emphasized that when studying Papuan ethnography, it is inseparable from its environment, mythology, origin and so on, including talking about Papua New Guinea which is included in the process of Papua’s historical journey. Dr. Simon also said that when it comes to Papua, it is divided into customary areas. Prof. Koentjaraningrat, the father of anthropology, has also conducted research on West Irian, the mention of which varies but is currently more often called Papuan land referring to phenotypic characteristics. Finally, Prof. Dr. Setiadi hoped that the students will get a new understanding and if there are questions, they can be discussed further.

[Humas FIB UGM, Writer: Dewi, Editor: Sandya]