Yogyakarta, 15/9/2025 – The Department of Language and Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) UGM, held an event titled “Expert Lecture on Philology: Transforming Ancient Manuscripts into Performing Arts.” The program took place at Room 709, R. Soegondo Building, FIB UGM from 09.00 to 12.00 GMT+7, and was also streamed live through the official YouTube channel Kanal Pengetahuan FIB UGM.

The lecture attracted not only students from FIB UGM but also international participants, including students from Osaka University, Japan. Some participants joined via Zoom, creating a vibrant and cross-cultural discussion. The presence of international students highlighted the global relevance of this topic and opened opportunities to promote Indonesia’s cultural heritage on an international stage.

The first speaker, Dr. R. Bima Slamet Raharja, M.A., a lecturer in Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture, delivered a theoretical framework of alih wahana (media transfer), moderated by Dr. Rudy Wiratama, M.A. Dr. Bima explained that alih wahana encompasses translation, adaptation, and the transfer of one art form into another. “A medium is like a vehicle—it carries ideas, feelings, and expressions,” he emphasized.

He further explained that alih wahana is inseparable from intermedia relations. Understanding the medium used to express ideas has significant implications for the study of art and media, ranging from expression, cinema, illustration, and visual poetry to remediation, adaptation, and multimedia practices.

Following this session, presentations by Anon Suneko, S.Sn., M.Sn., and Paksi Raras Alit, S.S., M.A., complemented the discussion by exploring the practical aspects of transforming ancient manuscripts into performing arts. Their insights bridged theoretical perspectives with contemporary artistic practices, providing students with new ways to connect classical texts to modern forms of cultural expression.

Beyond academic enrichment, the event strongly supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in cultural preservation, quality education, and international cooperation. The involvement of international participants underscored the potential of transforming ancient manuscripts into performing arts not only as a form of heritage conservation but also as cultural diplomacy—strengthening Indonesia’s role in promoting its cultural legacy to the world.

Author: Candra Solihin

Yogyakarta, 1/9/2025 – The Arabic Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, has introduced an Entrepreneurship lecture led by Dr. Ir. Siti Andarwati, S.Pt., MP., IPU., ASEAN Eng. The lecture is designed to provide students with entrepreneurial insights focused on fostering innovative, impactful, and sustainable mindsets.

In its opening lecture, students were introduced to the scope of entrepreneurship, the urgency of cultivating young entrepreneurs in Indonesia, and their role in driving national economic growth. Referring to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the lecture highlighted how the limited availability of formal jobs must be balanced with the creation of new business opportunities, particularly among the younger generation.

The class also emphasized the philosophical differences between entrepreneurship and wirausaha (sociopreneurship). While entrepreneurship is often rooted in Western individualistic philosophy, the Indonesian concept of wirausaha underscores harmony between individual and community, aiming for broader social benefits.

Students were further equipped with knowledge of entrepreneurial psychological profiles, including self-confidence, results orientation, risk-taking, and future-oriented thinking. The Plan-Do-Check-Action (PDCA) cycle was introduced as a key strategy for building consistent and sustainable business practices.

As part of the interactive session, students worked in small groups to develop and present business ideas, focusing on identifying market opportunities, crafting business plans, and showcasing product innovations. These activities were designed to sharpen their teamwork, problem-solving, and presentation skills while encouraging creative thinking.

Through this course, Arabic Study Program students are expected to cultivate creative and innovative mindsets while viewing entrepreneurship as a meaningful path to contribute to sustainable development. The program also supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Author: Muhammad Ardiansyah

Yogyakarta, 8/9/2025 – A total of 36 students from the Arabic Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), successfully completed internship programs during the even semester of the 2024/2025 academic year. The internships took place across a wide range of institutions, including government offices, publishing houses, educational institutions, media outlets, and private companies.

The program serves as a crucial part of the students’ learning journey, allowing them to not only apply their academic knowledge but also sharpen practical skills needed in today’s workplace.

UGM Arabic Study Program students were placed in diverse institutions, spanning both public and private sectors. These included: the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Sleman, Bantul, Purworejo, Yogyakarta City, and Regional Office of Yogyakarta); publishing and media outlets such as Brilliant Books, Mojok Publishing, Deepublish, and Tirto.id; educational institutions such as SDIT Al-Khairaat, Miftahul Huda Islamic Boarding School (Kroya, West Java), and MAN 2 Yogyakarta; state agencies such as the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) of Yogyakarta, LLDIKTI Region V Yogyakarta, and the Office of Community Empowerment, Villages, Population, and Civil Registration of DIY; as well as private sector and companies including At-Tayibah Al-Multazam Group (Umrah & Hajj Travel) and Telkom Purwokerto.

Through this program, students are expected not only to gain first-hand work experience but also to build professional networks, strengthen their communication, literacy, and research skills, and apply their Arabic language expertise in real-world contexts.

The participation of Arabic Study Program students across various sectors also highlights the program’s commitment to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), by fostering meaningful collaboration between higher education, government, and industry.

With this internship experience, it is hoped that the students will enrich their academic competencies while preparing themselves to become excellent, adaptive graduates ready to contribute to society.

Author: Muhammad Ardiansyah

Yogyakarta, 28/8/2025 – The Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) hosted a thought-provoking workshop titled “Archives of Ethnographic Encounters”  at the Multimedia Room, Margono Building. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and featured Marco Del Gallo, a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the London School of Economics.

In this workshop, Marco shared his experience working with the personal photographic archive of the late Haswinar Arifin, an anthropology student and photographer who documented life in North Jakarta from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Through this material, Marco invited participants to reconsider the meaning of archives—not merely as collections of documents, but as living traces that hold stories, emotions, and social dynamics.

The discussion raised fundamental questions about the very definition of an archive. Are people, through the simple act of storing photographs, notes, or recordings, in fact producing historical documents for the future? If so, how should researchers engage with these materials—both their own and those created by others? This line of thought opened up a broader understanding of archives, extending beyond official documents to include photographs, sound recordings, videos, and creative writings that capture everyday experiences.

Marco also emphasized the ethical responsibility that comes with working on archives collected by others. Personal materials that enter the academic space bring their own dilemmas: how can intimacy be preserved when private archives are circulated publicly? Where do we draw the line between the researcher’s role, the rights of ownership, and the community represented in these archives? Such questions demand sensitivity to ethics, care, and fairness in collaborative ethnographic work.

Marco’s reflections stem from his doctoral research based on 26 months of fieldwork among fishing communities in North Jakarta. His work contributes to broader discussions on urbanism, capitalism, environmental transformation, collective politics, and labor. His presence at FIB UGM demonstrated how ethnographic experiences in the field can be woven into larger theoretical reflections through archival engagement.

The workshop ultimately became more than an academic gathering; it served as a reminder that archives are not static collections but living spaces of memory. They allow us to see how everyday life becomes history, and how preserving archives also means preserving collective memory for the future.

Yogyakarta, 21/3/2025 – Keluarga Mahasiswa Antropologi (Kemant) UGM went westward to the Faculty of Engineering, to visit the Library of the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (DTMI). DTMI has been sending invitations to student bodies all across the university to visit their library, to share what they’ve been developing these past few months: a library that provides a comfortable public space for students. The library sits on the southern part of the department building, right next to the parking lot. The space inside it is moderately big, about twice the size of the Anthropology Reading Room on the fifth floor of Soegondo. In front of the entrance, sits a locker for students to put their bags in.  Next to that is the receptionist table, and next to that are rows of tall bookshelves filled all the way to the top. Books of many different kinds can be found; from the typical engineering books about Autocad and metallurgy, to fictional novels and even some biographies. Beside these bookshelves, many students are sitting in an arrangement of tables – some are doing their homework, some are playing board games, and some are merely socializing with each other. The library has a built-in decibel-meter, used to measure the sound level in the room; it beeps loudly when the sound goes over a certain threshold, a reminder to the students to keep it down. Aside from the main room with shelves and tables, the library also holds two isolated rooms – walled up with glass – to serve as meeting/reading rooms, where students who need more silence can go and sit.

Dhika, a third-year mechanical engineering student serving part-time as the library keeper, explained that this vibrant atmosphere is a relatively new experience. Back then, the DTMI Library was a cramped space that seldom held visitors. With dreams of an easy and accessible public space for students, Dhika and a few friends of his then advocated for the improvement of the library. The space was renovated, lifting up the ceiling and widening the interior. The book collection was expanded to hold more kinds of books, not just limited to engineering guides. Some professors also donated to the library’s collection; not just books, but also board games to enrich the place. Another thing that changed was the opening hours. Whereas back then the library was only open during working hours on Monday to Friday, nowadays the place can be accessed by students from morning until night, seven days a week. With these changes, the library became a gathering place where students can spend their time on campus, facilitated by the existence of myriad books and games in the library. The once-barren place is now filled with student activity, and the whole place became more lively.

After the tour, the Kemant representatives were free to explore the library by themselves. Some read the new book additions that haven’t been sorted into shelves, but most tried to play the board games that are available. While accompanying the excited students, Dhika reiterated the point of this visit: spreading awareness to students from all over UGM about the importance of a common space such as the DTMI Library, and to help realize the dream of a public space for students from all faculties and departments.

Author: Amadeus Abhirama Paramanindita