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.

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]

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – Students from the Faculty of Humanities currently on a Student Internship program at Buku Mojok publishing paid a visit to the Offset printing factory. The factory is one of the printing houses used by Buku Mojok to print its books. During the visit, they were introduced to the machines used to print books and the stages it is used in printing. This visit is in line with SDGs number 9, namely Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

The visit began at 2:30 pm with an explanation of printing using plates inside of the machine. Then, interns were invited to see the machines used such as paper folding machines, cutting machines, and binding machines for paper sheets to become books. In addition, interns also received explanations related to the machines used, for example the difference between color printing machines and one-color printing machines.

Sunday, 10th March 2024 – Students of the Faculty of Cultural Science, currently in an internship program at Buku Mojok publishing company, became the moderator for Festival Penulis Perempuan to celebrate International Women’s day. The event, initiated by Buku Mojok, was held in three days on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of March at Akademi Bahagia. On the lasy day of the event, Buku Mojok invited Ranting Mangga to lead the journaling workshop and Isnaniar to lead the meditation workshop. This event is in line with the 5th SDGs, gender equality.

The event started at 1PM with the journaling workshop by Ranting Mangga. The participants was encouraged to write and paste scraps paper pieces in their journal as they like. After that, the event was followed with the meditation workshop. Isnaniar invited the participants to meditate by walking on the grass around their meeting area. On this event, student interns also participated in the workshop and helped the staff from Buku Mojok to prepare the event.

[Humas FIB UGM, Author: Catharina Maida Muhamartha, Editor: Rifal Fadlurrahman]