Yogyakarta, 19-21 Mei 2025 —Indonesia is widely recognized as an archipelagic country. According to the Geospatial Information Agency, by 2024, the number of islands in Indonesia had reached 17,360, varying in size, location, socio-cultural systems, and natural as well as human resource potential. As territorial units, these islands are both separated and united by the sea—whose area is even larger than the landmass itself. This fact illustrates that the tendency toward fragmentation may be stronger than that of unity. As a unitary state, Indonesia exists within a constant tension between sameness and diversity, unity and potential disintegration. Therefore, the state must pay serious attention to its islands. It is for this reason that the national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), continues to be emphasized by the government through various educational institutions and civic doctrinal efforts.

In response to the urgent need to address Indonesia’s existence as an archipelagic state with complex island-related issues, the Doctoral Program in Humanities at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, opened the year 2025 with an international lecture series. The program invited three internationally recognized scholars in island studies to teach and deliver lectures as part of a comprehensive event entitled Critical Island Studies Summer School, themed “The Land, The Sea, and The State.” The invited scholars included Maria Luisa Torres Reyes, a full professor and Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila; Alex Taek-Gwang Lee, professor of philosophy and cultural studies and founding director of the Centre for Technology in Humanities at Kyung Hee University, South Korea; and Faruk, professor at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, specializing in literary sociology with a focus on cultural and island studies. The event took place from May 19 to 21, 2025, in Room 709, Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM.

On the first day, the program commenced with an introductory presentation on Critical Island Studies (CIS) by Prof. Maria Luisa Torres Reyes and Prof. Alex Taek-Gwang Lee. Prof. Reyes—affectionately called “Bu Lulu” during her stay in Indonesia—explained that Critical Island Studies was established in 2019 at the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines. Its core focus is to observe and critique island-related studies, particularly in the Asian region.

On the second and third days, the program continued with lecture sessions from four keynote speakers. On Day 2, Prof. Reyes presented a lecture titled “The Sama Bajau: The Nomadic Space/Place Between ‘Laut’ and ‘Pulo’,” followed by Prof. Faruk’s presentation entitled “The Sea, Nomad, and Capitalist.” On the final day, Prof. Toshiya presented an abstract titled “What is the Speculative and Archipelagic Turn in the Recent Tonality of Human Sciences?” which was then followed by the final lecture delivered by Prof. Alex titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Ecological Catastrophe.”

Guided by a moderator, the event did not merely consist of lectures but also featured engaging discussions with the participants. The entire Critical Island Studies (CIS) Summer School concluded with closing remarks by Prof. Dr. Wening Udasmoro, S.S., M.Hum., DEA, Vice Rector for Education and Teaching at Universitas Gadjah Mada.

[Doctoral Program in Humanities]

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 14: Life Below Water | SDGs 15: Life on Land | SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The XXIX National Cultural Gathering was successfully organized by I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa State Hindu University (UHN) which took place on Sunday-Friday, from November 5th until 10th, 2023. The theme of the 2023 National Cultural Gathering was “Sabda Budaya: Mukhti Luwir Nihan Segara”, which means “Cultural Echoes: Thundering like the Ocean”. The theme intends to highlight the richness of Indonesian culture that is still thundering amid the current era of globalization. The activity lasted for five days with various agendas including the National Deliberation, Wimbakara (Competition), and National Seminar. It ended with the Awarding Night as well as the closing of the XXIX National Cultural Gathering activities.

In this XXIX National Cultural Gathering, the Javanese Language, Literature and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), sent eight delegates to participate in the entire series of events. The UGM delegation consists of Nurma Aisyah (class of 2021) as the head of the delegation, Vighna Rivattyannur Hernawan (class of 2020), Bima Muslih Wicaksono (class of 2022), Haryo Untoro (class of 2022), Kintan Dewinta Putri (class of 2022), Muhammad Siswoyo (class of 2022), Alma Syahwalani (class of 2023), and Meifira Arini Pitaloka (class of 2023).

There were six contested activities, including the Cultural Parade, National Scientific Writing Competition (LKTIN), Poetry Musicalization Competition, Comic Strip Competition, Cultural Tiktok Competition, and Cultural Reportage Competition. Of the six competitions, the delegation of Universitas Gadjah Mada won five competitions, including:

• 1st place in the Cultural Reportage competition (Alma Syahwalani)

The Cultural Reportage competition raised the theme of Taman Sari Yogyakarta, a historic water garden site, as a reflection of the splendor and majesty of Indonesian culture that is passed down to this day.

• 2nd place in the National Scientific Writing Competition (Haryo Untoro and Muhammad Siswoyo)

The National Scientific Writing Competition entitled Reflection of the Entity of the Agrarian Tradition in the Track Record of Cowongan Song Verses, raised the Cowongan ritual song verses as material objects that contain elements of agricultural in the form of various plants and animals. The elements are then associated with their classification in Javanese culture and reveal the inheritance related to the name of the agrarian elements and the agrarian mythology behind them.

• 2nd place in Comic Strip competition (Meifira Arini Pitaloka)

The Comic Strip competition with the theme “environmental conservation based on local wisdom” tells the story of young people who want to reforest by paying attention to the philosophy of these plants.

• 3rd place in the Poetry Musicalization competition (Nurma Aisyah and Bima Muslih Wicaksono)

The Poetry Musicalization Competition raised the theme “Sabda Budaya: Mukhti Luwir Nihan Segara” brought poetry created by Muhammad Siswoyo about the beauty and majesty of the nation’s culture. The poem was performed with a recitation combined with singing and musical accompaniment, thus mesmerizing the other participants.

• 3rd place in Tiktok Nusantara competition (Kintan Dewinta Putri)

Cultural Tiktok competition featuring traditional games, including Dakon or Congklak, Clogs, and games accompanied by dolanan cublek-cublek suweng songs.

The achievement of the UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program in winning various competitions is a concrete manifestation of UGM Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Students in promoting, appreciating, and preserving the diverse cultures and traditions in Indonesia.

With the existence of the XXIXth National Cultural Gathering activities, it is hoped that they will motivate students to be interested in promoting this cultural heritage and tradition. Furthermore, this National Cultural Gathering activity can strengthen relationships between students of regional literature study programs throughout Indonesia and implement sustainable development goals, especially in improving the quality of education, extracting local wisdom that is in tune with the ecosystem, and working together to preserve and explore the nation’s cultural potential.

We would like to thank all those who have participated in the success of this event. Hopefully, Imbasadi can continue to accommodate students majoring in regional literature throughout Indonesia in developing and preserving the nation’s culture.

Indonesia is diverse, and Imbasadi unites.