Singapore, January 5, 2026 – Randy Setiawan, an educational staff member of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), was selected as a delegate in the Transforming University Libraries Leadership and Innovation Programme (TULLIP) organized by NUS Libraries. The program brought together 19 participants from various countries and was held over five days, focusing on strengthening leadership, innovation, and digital transformation in university libraries.

The TULLIP program was designed to foster collaboration between librarians across the ASEAN region and the global academic community. Through a series of workshops, seminars, roundtable discussions, and learning visits, participants were equipped with strategic skills to address the challenges of library management amid a rapidly evolving information landscape.

Throughout the program, participants took part in a range of thematic sessions. The first day explored leadership in driving transformative change within libraries. The second day highlighted the use of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and innovation in leading academic libraries. The third day focused on library partnership practices in supporting education and research. On the fourth day, libraries were positioned as living labs through the management of collections, infrastructure, and spatial design. The program concluded on the fifth day with a case study-based problem-solving session.

In one of the presentation sessions, Setiawan outlined the challenges faced by the FIB UGM Library, particularly in relation to limited collection storage space. “In yesterday’s paper presentation, we highlighted an issue faced by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Library, namely the need to accommodate space as the library collection continues to grow,” Setiawan explained.

He added that older collections remain in high demand among students. “In addition, there is an urgent need to transform library collections from physical formats to digital ones. This is due to the limited capacity of the temporary library space, which can only accommodate around 15 percent of the total collection,” he said. As a result, approximately 85 percent of the collection must be stored long term and is at risk of deterioration.

Setiawan also shared that the workshop sessions provided participants with insights into effective and up-to-date collection digitization processes. On the same occasion, he introduced efforts to promote the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM’s rare collections through the Lawang Sejarah platform, which can be accessed at langka.lib.ugm.ac.id.

The participation of the FIB UGM delegate in the TULLIP program reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to adapting to developments in information technology and strengthening the role of libraries as centers for learning and research. Through enhanced human resource capacity and international networking, libraries are expected to better support an inclusive, impactful, and sustainability-oriented academic ecosystem.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]

Yogyakarta, 16 December 2025 – Students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, Class of 2025, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, staged a drama titled Weton Waton. The performance took place at the Poerbatjaraka Auditorium, FIB UGM, at 6:00 p.m.

This activity was organized as part of the final exam assignment for the Communicative Spoken Javanese Language course taught by Dr. R. Bima Slamet Raharja, S.S., M.A. The performance of Weton Waton was directed by Safa Rahmatul H. as the production manager.

The drama Weton Waton tells the story of a domestic conflict between a husband and wife triggered by financial problems. The root of the problem lies in the husband’s decision to quit his job and get involved in cockfighting gambling. The ongoing conflict then prompts the wife’s parents to take the matter to a shaman. In the story, the shaman says that the couple’s domestic quarrels are caused by an incompatibility in their weton, which is called tiba pegat.

Through this performance, students sought to convey the message that problems should not be automatically attributed to a person’s character or nature based on their weton. In addition, this performance also presented knowledge about the concepts of dina, pasaran, and wuku, which are still believed by some Javanese people to be part of their tradition.

Based on an online interview with Yogi Setiyawan on December 28, 2025, the Weton Waton performance was a final exam assignment that required all students enrolled in the course to be directly involved in the performance. The theme of weton was chosen as an effort to highlight the tradition of calculating weton, dina, pasaran, and wuku that has developed in Javanese society.

“In preparing for the Weton Waton performance, our preparations can be said to still have a number of limitations. The challenges faced include script writing, group division, and funding constraints. From this process, we learned that good and open communication between members is very important in a performance,” said Yogi.

Yogi also expressed his pride in being involved in the premiere performance of the 2025 batch of students from the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program. He hopes that this activity can be a first step towards producing better works in the future.

The performance of the Weton Waton drama was not only a means of practicing Javanese language skills orally, but also a platform for students to create and apply their language skills in the form of a performance. In line with the teachings of KGPAA Mangkunegara IV in Serat Wedhatama, which states that ngelmu iku kalakone kanthi laku or knowledge must be implemented through practice, this performance is a tangible manifestation of reviving enthusiasm for the Javanese language while honing students’ creativity. Through activities such as this, students are expected to continue to preserve and revive Javanese culture through concrete efforts that benefit the community.

Author : Haryo Untoro
Editor  : Haryo Untoro

Yogyakarta, 21 January 2026 — The Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held a Maguyubagya Gathering for Postgraduate Graduates at the Poerbatjaraka Auditorium. The event served as a moment of fellowship and appreciation for the academic achievements of 46 graduates from the master’s and doctoral programs who participated in UGM’s January 2026 graduation period.

The gathering was attended by university and faculty leaders, lecturers, graduates, and their families. In her remarks, the Vice-Rector for Education and Student Affairs of UGM, Dr. Nursaktiningrum, M.Hum., emphasized that postgraduate education extends beyond the completion of theses or dissertations.
“The academic process is not merely about producing a thesis or dissertation, but also about shaping scholarly character and intellectual integrity. Knowledge becomes meaningful when it is brought to life through community engagement, research, and contributions to society,” she stated.

Dr. Nursaktiningrum also highlighted the achievement of efficient study completion at the doctoral level. According to her, one graduate was able to complete doctoral studies in a relatively short period.
“The fastest study duration at the doctoral level is three years, four months, and seven days. This demonstrates that pursuing doctoral studies does not necessarily require an excessively long time,” she explained.

Based on faculty records, the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) at the master’s level was achieved by Hanina Naura Fadhila from the Master’s Program in Anthropology, with a GPA of 3.93. Meanwhile, the shortest study duration at the master’s level was recorded by Iftinan Rose Putri Safana from the Master’s Program in Literature, who completed her studies in one year, two months, and eight days.
At the doctoral level, the highest GPA was attained by Erlin Kartikasari and Sahruman from the Doctoral Program in Humanities, with a GPA of 3.77, while the shortest study duration was achieved by Lalu Erwan Husnan from the same program, completing his studies in three years, four months, and seven days.

Representing outstanding graduates, Hanina Naura Fadhila expressed her appreciation to the faculty and lecturers for fostering an open and critical academic environment throughout her studies.
“I would like to thank the faculty and our lecturers for providing us with the space to speak the truth. We were able to engage in days-long actions without fear of academic sanctions, although silent pressures from those who disagreed still lingered. In the classroom, we learned to construct logic and engage in dialectical thinking to bridge theory and practice, as well as to understand the impacts of human phenomena and humanity itself,” she said.

The Maguyubagya gathering marked not only the culmination of academic journeys but also a reflection on a learning process that demands perseverance, integrity, and social responsibility. Through the graduates’ academic achievements and efficient study completion, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing scholars who excel intellectually while remaining sensitive to humanitarian issues and prepared to contribute meaningfully to society in a sustainable manner.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]

Yogyakarta, 13 January 2026 – Galuh Febri Putra underwent an Open Doctoral Promotion Examination at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) on Tuesday. In the examination held in the Multimedia Room of the Soegondo Building, Galuh defended his dissertation entitled Sexual Narratives in Motinggo Busye’s Novels from 1967 to 1969: A Study of Political Aestheticization, which analyzes literature as a medium of critique against power during the New Order era.

In his dissertation, Galuh examines the works of Motinggo Busye published in the early New Order period, specifically Tante Maryati (1967), Perempuan Paris (1968), and Cross Mama (1969). The study is rooted in the political context of Indonesia in the 1960s, when the government exercised strict control over freedom of expression in literature and media to support political and economic stability.

Galuh explained that the sexual narratives in Busye’s works go beyond mere entertainment. Instead, he argued, sexuality functions as an aesthetic strategy to disrupt mainstream literary patterns that tended to be repetitive and aligned with dominant ideology. “The sexual narratives in Motinggo Busye’s novels are used as a form of resistance against the New Order political system and as a means of raising readers’ social awareness,” Galuh stated during the examination.

The research outlines three primary focuses: the role of sexual narratives as an intervention in the New Order’s storytelling politics; the auratic effects these narratives produce in building class consciousness; and the role of such narratives in creating deautomatization of repetitive erotic literature of that period. Galuh employs the theory of political aestheticization to explain how literature can lose critical power when trapped in mass production devoid of social substance.

In his analysis, Galuh shows that Motinggo Busye incorporated criticism of patriarchy, capitalism, and authoritarianism through his portrayal of characters’ sexuality. Sexuality is thus positioned not only as a symbol of social tension and class conflict, but also as a medium to challenge state control over bodies and morality. This approach distinguishes Busye’s works from other erotic literature of his time, which generally prioritized sensation without social reflection.

The study’s findings also reaffirm the relevance of literary studies in interpreting Indonesia’s socio-political dynamics. By contributing theoretically to the development of sociological approaches to literature and political aestheticization, this dissertation is expected to serve as a reference for researchers and authors who view literature as a productive space for critique.

The open examination concluded with an emphasis that literary scholarship remains deeply connected to efforts to build critical societal awareness. Through re-reading past literary works, academic inquiry contributes to preserving collective memory, fostering freedom of thought, and nurturing cultural practices that support a more just and sustainable social life in the future.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Candra Solihin]

Yogyakarta, January 8, 2026 – In an inspiring workshop titled “Current Multidisciplinary Publication Directions and Strategies in Arabic Language and Literature,” Anna M. Gade, Ph.D., an Islamic Studies expert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared new insights for Arabic Literature academics. The event commenced with opening remarks by Mimi Savitri, Ph.D., Vice Dean of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM, followed by a brief presentation by Prof. Dr. Sangidu, M. Hum., who introduced the latest developments in Arabic Literature research and Middle Eastern Culture.

In her presentation, Dr. Gade offered a new perspective on how Arabic Literature can command a vast presence in the global academic arena. More than just an observer, Dr. Gade highlighted the immense initiative and untapped potential within the field. Her primary point focused on a fundamental transformation in constructing scientific narratives: researchers must have the courage to move away from purely descriptive writing and shift toward sharp, critical analysis.

According to Dr. Gade, articles that merely paraphrase texts without engaging with social reality often struggle to penetrate high-reputation journals, such as those indexed in Scopus. She said that “Analysis is crucial because it must stem from real cases.” 

Throughout her career in producing various scholarly works, Dr. Gade has implemented two key strategies. The first is broadening the research scope through comparative studies, the second is sharpening the focus by deeply dissecting a specific linguistic or literary phenomenon. Interestingly, she demonstrated that Arabic Literature is not solely about grammar or pure aesthetics, but serves as a bridge to other disciplines, including law, sociology, and international relations. Dr. Gade’s message was clear: the sharper our analysis of the language’s depth and the bolder we are in stepping beyond traditional boundaries, the greater our contribution will be to the advancement of global knowledge.

Author : Indana Zulfa Maulida