On Friday, December 8 2023, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University won second place in the Gadjah Mada University Public Relations Award. This award was given in recognition of the success of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences in the Page Management category. This achievement is the result of dedication and innovation in the public relations program, which involves superior products in six categories, including page management, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, press releases and communication campaigns. This achievement not only strengthens the faculty’s reputation but also becomes an inspiration for the entire academic community in developing innovation in the field of website development at the faculty level.

The Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage is a triennial scientific meeting that was originally organised in Manila, Philippines by the Asian Academy for Heritage Management. The 2023 Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage will be held in Gwangju, South Korea, which is the 5th conference since it was first held in 2011. Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage 2023 with the theme “The Ocean Decade Challenges and the Maritime Cultural Heritage of Asia -Pacific” has a discussion panel session related to hot issues regarding the study of maritime heritage and underwater archaeology within the Asia-Pacific.

At this year’s conference, there were 26 panel sessions with researchers, academics and students from 40 countries with 300 participants presenting their research in maritime studies and underwater archaeological heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. Not only presenting, the researchers also published their research in the conference proceedings. In participating in the Asia-Pacific Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage 2023, a Master student of the Department of Archaeology (Muslim Dimas Khoiru Dhony) was awarded as The Best Student Paper with a paper entitled Underwater Archaeological Remains in Matano Lake, South of Sulawesi, Indonesia: Evidence of Iron Age Civilisation in session 15 on The Archaeology of Submerged Landscapes and Inland Waters. The paper is the result of research conducted by the National Archaeological Research Centre (now BRIN) for 6 years in collaboration with researchers who focus on each field to examine the development of the Iron Age in Lake Matano. The activity is also an effort to carry out Sustainable Development Programs (SDGs) such as SDG 4 (Quality Education) Culture, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) Culture, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) Cultural Heritage, and Community and Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Department of History, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM is holding another Public Lecture entitled “Soewarsih Djojopuspito: The Life of a Colonial Female Nationalist in Independent Indonesia” on Friday, 10 November 2023. The event took place in the Multimedia Room on the 2nd floor of Margono Building. This Public Lecture focuses on discussing the life journey of a female nationalist during Indonesian independence. Hans Visser, an independent researcher from Alkmaar, was the main speaker in this event, while Dr. Agus Suwignyo, a lecturer from the Department of History, acted as the moderator.

On this occasion, the discussion thoroughly covered the contribution of Soewarsih Djojopuspito, a female writer and literary figure best known for her work entitled “Free Man” or “Buiten Het Gareel”. This work is recognised as an important part of Indonesian literary history. Not only that, in 2013, Soewarsih Djojopuspito was awarded the honour of Bintang Budaya Parama Dharma in recognition of her dedication to literature.

This Public Lecture provides a space to explore Soewarsih Djojopuspito in greater detail, exploring significant aspects of her life and contributions in the context of Indonesian history. The event is not only a platform to recognise an inspirational nationalist figure, but also an opportunity to reflect on the struggles undertaken by a determined woman like Djojopuspito..

UGM Department of History successfully organised a seminar entitled “From Sartono Kartodirdjo, Soedjatmoko, and Moh. Ali Towards Future Indonesian History Writing (I)” on 31 October 2023 at the Auditorium of Soegondo Building 7th Floor. The event was attended by around 100 participants from researchers, students, and the general public.

The seminar aimed to explore the future of Indonesian history writing by exploring the thoughts of figures such as Sartono Kartodirdjo, Soedjatmoko, and Moh. Ali. Three keynote speakers, Gani Achmad Jailani from Universitas Padjadjaran, Priska Marsila from Alumni UIN Sunan Gunung Jati, and Wahyu Purwiyastuti from Satya Wacana Christian University, presented materials covering various aspects of Indonesian historiography.

In addition to the keynote speakers, the seminar also involved 17 co-speakers who were selected through a call for papers selection. The participants were divided into six panels according to the predetermined theme groups. The hope is that this seminar can provide inspiration for the development of Indonesian history writing in the future.

A joint discussion session moderated by Prof Bambang Purwanto concluded the seminar. In closing, Prof Bambang asked interesting questions about the need to discuss the philosophy of history and whether the Indonesian-centric approach is relevant. He also emphasised that this seminar was the beginning of a deeper discussion on the philosophical aspects of history writing.

Recently, on 2 November 2023, Universitas Gadjah Mada paid a visit to the University of Zurich. During the visit, both institutions discussed ways to build on shared characteristics and strengthen existing relationships. The UGM delegation’s visit to the University of Zurich emphasised the common characteristics of these two universities and explored various opportunities for past and future cooperation.

At the institutional level, UGM and UZH are connected through University 21 (U21). U21 is a unique global network that brings together 29 of the world’s leading research-intensive universities. UGM is the newest member of U21 which joined in early 2021. While UZH has joined in 2017. U21 plays an important role in creating opportunities for student mobility and provides a platform to share approaches to address common challenges and trends in higher education.

For almost ten years, the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the Department of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (ISEK) at UZH have established a strong and lasting relationship. This partnership has been initiated and sustained by the dedication of Prof. Dr. Pujo Semedi from UGM and Prof. Dr. Annuska Derks from UZH. Over the years, they have established a strong collaboration that has resulted in various programmes such as PhD student exchanges, research fellowships, writing residencies, and master student exchange programmes. UGM has also played a significant role in the International Summer School series called “Southeast Asia in Motion,” with the latest edition being hosted at UGM in August 2022.

Exploring New Ways to Collaborate

Professor Puji Astuti, UGM Director of Partnerships and Global Relations, expressed her excitement for the cooperation that has been established between UGM and UZH. They aim to strengthen this relationship further. They discussed the possibility of offering a double degree programme, which is popular among UZH students. The merging of two university systems can be challenging, but the exchange programme with UGM indirectly provides some solutions.

Meanwhile, ISEK is exploring other collaboration opportunities, such as research projects on alternative education. They are also planning an International Summer School in 2025, where UGM students and faculty will visit the University of Zurich. Molly Fitzpatrick, a researcher at ISEK, believes that this collaboration has been fruitful and hopes that it can be extended to other faculties.