Good news comes from three undergraduate students in Cultural Anthropology at the Faculty of Humanities, UGM, who achieved a proud accomplishment at the 2026 National Excellence Competition (NEC). The NEC was organized by Eduhub Incubator in collaboration with Mataram University. The competition took place on May 9–10, 2026, at the Faculty of Agriculture, Mataram University, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The team, consisting of Dinaesy Fadillah Hidayat, Aly Aydeed, and Nadila Aryani Az-Zalfa, won a Gold Medal in the Tourism and Creative Economy Research Essay category under the guidance of Agus Indiyanto, S.Sos., M.Si.

The competition’s theme was “Integrating Critical Thinking, Social Innovation, and Sustainable Entrepreneurial Capabilities within the Framework of Inclusive Development and Achieving the SDGs in Indonesia.” In their paper, the team addressed the issue of event management and tourism waste in Yogyakarta, which is still considered a challenge in supporting sustainable tourism.

As a solution, the team proposed an innovation in the form of a circular economy-based event management agency. This concept is designed to integrate event management with waste reduction and reuse systems, thereby creating a more environmentally friendly event ecosystem while supporting the creative economy sector in a sustainable manner.

It is hoped that this achievement will motivate other students to remain critical of phenomena occurring in society, to present innovative ideas, and to contribute to addressing various social issues through research and academic work that has a positive impact on the community.

Author: Dewi W – adapted from a report by Dinaesy Fadillah Hidayat

Photo: Dinaesy Fadillah Hidayat et al.

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada, through the organization of the Asia Theories Network (ATN) Workshop 2026, presents an international academic forum bringing together leading scholars from Asia, the United States, and Europe to discuss the paradoxes of globalization and disconnection in the digital era. The event will take place from May 22–24, 2026, in Room 709, Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Carrying the theme “Globalization and (Dis)Connectivity,” the workshop highlights various issues concerning the transformation of identities, communities, and institutions in an increasingly digitally connected world. Participants are invited to discuss how digital and cultural networks not only foster global integration but also generate new forms of social isolation and disconnection within contemporary society.

ATN Workshop 2026 will also feature interdisciplinary dialogues involving the fields of literature, education, politics, and cultural studies. Academics and researchers will explore a range of contemporary issues, including digital social movements, coalition politics, decolonial discourse, digital well-being, and Anthropocene-related issues concerning the relationship between humans and the environment. The combination of global and local perspectives in each session serves as one of the workshop’s major strengths, including discussions of regional cases such as Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement and media controversies in Indonesia.

In addition to the academic forum, participants will also have the opportunity to experience the cultural richness of Yogyakarta through various cultural activities, including temple visits, traditional performances, and local culinary experiences. These activities aim to introduce Indonesian culture to the international academic community while strengthening cross-cultural exchange among nations.

The organization of the Asia Theories Network Workshop 2026 also supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on Quality Education through the strengthening of international academic collaboration and the development of critical scholarly discourse, SDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities through intercultural dialogue and global-local perspectives, and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals through international academic cooperation among researchers, educational institutions, and intellectual communities from various countries.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Alma Syahwalani]

During the final meeting of the first half of the Postcolonialism course, students of the Master’s Program in Literature at Universitas Gadjah Mada had the opportunity to attend a guest lecture titled Baltic Postcolonialism, delivered by Dr. Irma Budginaitė-Mačkinė, Associate Professor of Sociology at Vilnius University, Lithuania. Dr. Irma visited Indonesia as part of a research mobility scheme funded by Project MARS: Non-Western Migration from Global Perspectives.

The lecture was organized by Dr. Arifah Arum Candra Hayuningsih, the lecturer responsible for the first half of the Postcolonialism course. The guest lecture for the Master’s Program in Literature was held on Monday (27/4/2026) at Soegondo Building Room 224, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Postcolonialism is one of the compulsory courses designed to provide students with an understanding of the dynamics of colonialism and its impacts on various aspects of life, including language, literature, economics, politics, and culture. The course does not only focus on countries in Asia and Africa, but also covers other regions such as the Caribbean, Kenya, India, Vietnam, and Eastern Europe, including Lithuania, which experienced forms of domination different from classical colonialism.

These diverse colonial experiences gave rise to postcolonial thinkers who sought to critique and deconstruct colonial hegemony through reflective and critical ideas. Figures such as Aimé Césaire, Albert Memmi, Frantz Fanon, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, and Édouard Glissant contributed diverse perspectives in understanding colonialism and the process of decolonization.

In her presentation, the academic, whose interdisciplinary background spans political science and sociology, highlighted Lithuania’s ambiguous position within postcolonial studies, particularly in the post-Soviet context. To understand this ambiguity, Lithuania must be viewed within a post-imperial framework, as a country transitioning from the rule of the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union into the post-Soviet era. Lithuania cannot easily be categorized as a “colonized” nation in the classical colonial sense, yet it still experienced forms of colonial-like domination.

Geographically, Lithuania covers an area of approximately 65,300 km², roughly half the size of Java Island, with a population of around 2.9 million people, comparable to the population of Yogyakarta City. Its national language, Lithuanian, belongs to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family and remains an important part of the country’s national identity despite historical pressures.

Historically, Lithuania was once part of a political union through the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569. However, in 1795, the country lost its sovereignty and became part of the Russian Empire. Since then, various policies demonstrated that the domination imposed upon Lithuania was neither simple nor singular, but systematic and complex.

During her presentation, the sociologist, who has conducted scientific research for more than a decade, also discussed the perspective of historian Darius Staliūnas, who described Russian domination in Lithuania as extending into many aspects of life. Politically, Lithuania was placed under external control that restricted national sovereignty. Socially, repression in the form of censorship and limitations on freedom became part of the people’s lived experience. Economically, exploitation and the redirection of economic orientation served the interests of the imperial center.

In the spheres of culture, language, and religion, this domination manifested through policies promoting Russification. The Russian government promoted Orthodox Christianity, limited the influence of the Catholic Church, and at one point prohibited the use of the Latin alphabet. These policies reflected systematic attempts to displace Lithuania’s local identity. Furthermore, education and knowledge were also used as instruments of control to shape public ways of thinking according to the interests of those in power.

As a response to these pressures, Lithuanians demonstrated various forms of resistance, one of which was large-scale migration. Between 1865 and 1915, around 700,000 Lithuanians left their country and migrated to regions such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Germany. This migration can be understood as an indirect form of resistance against the domination they experienced.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuania entered a post-Soviet transition phase marked by the restoration of political independence in 1990 and the end of direct external control. Nevertheless, the effects of previous domination continue to be felt today. Like many other Eastern European countries, Lithuania faces challenges as a relatively less-developed nation that is not yet fully modernized and is still striving to catch up with Western countries.

Therefore, Lithuania’s experience demonstrates that colonialism does not always take the form of explicit geographical occupation, but can also be recognized through complex and layered power relations. This ambiguity makes Lithuania a compelling case in postcolonial studies, while also expanding the scope of postcolonial analysis beyond the Global South.

[Magister Sastra, Selvia Parwati Putri]

The Japanese Language and Culture Study Program of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) once again achieved a national accomplishment by winning the Grand Champion title at the 2nd Hiroshima University Japanese Essay Contest in Indonesia. The awards were presented on 7 February 2026 during the award ceremony held at Garuda Hall, Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia, Jakarta, involving various national and international institutions as event partners.

The Japanese-language essay contest was organized by Hiroshima University in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia and Universitas Dharma Persada, with support from the Embassy of Japan in Indonesia, the Association of Japanese Language Education, PT Suzuki Indomobil Sales, SPRIX Inc., Nihon Talent Solution, Andersen Group, Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd., Chateraise Co., Ltd., and Marugame Udon. In its second year, the competition received 268 essay submissions from 24 universities across Indonesia, a significant increase compared to the previous year, which received only 96 submissions.

Out of hundreds of submissions, 30 participants were selected to advance to the interview stage. UGM submitted 21 essays, with three participants advancing to the interview round, and two of them receiving awards, including the Grand Champion title.

A 2022 student of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program UGM, Michelle Anastasia Budiman, won the Grand Champion award and received prizes including a MacBook Air M4, a round-trip ticket from Yogyakarta to Hiroshima with two weeks of accommodation, a round-trip ticket from Yogyakarta to Jakarta along with hotel accommodation for the award ceremony, Marugame Udon meal vouchers, and a certificate of achievement.

Meanwhile, another 2022 student of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program UGM, Sheila Nursabila Sunarto, received the Honorable Mention Award and obtained a Huawei MatePad SE tablet, Marugame Udon meal vouchers, and a certificate of achievement.

On the same occasion, the UGM team supervisor, Wiastiningsih, Ph.D., also received an award as the Best Supervisor for her contribution in mentoring and assisting the students throughout the competition process.

The organizing committee stated that the increasing number of participants reflects the growing interest in Japanese language studies in Indonesia and expressed hope that the competition would continue to serve as a platform for appreciation and competency development among university students.

This achievement further demonstrates the commitment of the Japanese Language and Culture Study Program UGM to providing quality education and encouraging students to compete at both national and international levels. Through collaboration with various institutions and active participation in global academic events, the program continues to strengthen its role in academic competency development and international networking.

[Japanese Literature, Barra Taura Nursaid]

Yogyakarta, April 25, 2026 – The Association of Arabic Literature Students of Universitas Gadjah Mada (IKMASA UGM) once again presents a student development program through the IKMASA Future Leaders 2026 event. With the theme Public Speaking Advancement & Leadership Decision Making, this program serves as a learning space for students to enhance their public communication skills while also strengthening their leadership capacity.

The event featured two experienced speakers in their respective fields. Nafesya Amrina Rasyada, S.S., Creative Officer at GIK UGM, delivered a session on public speaking, while Syifa Ulhusna Syahputri, S.S., Founder of Pelita Gembira, discussed leadership. Both speakers presented the material in an applied approach that was closely related to the current realities faced by students.

In the public speaking session, participants were guided to understand the fundamentals of effective communication, build self-confidence, and develop well-structured and persuasive ideas. Meanwhile, in the leadership session, participants were encouraged to explore the importance of decision-making, the ability to lead in various situations, and the development of adaptive leadership character. 

The event atmosphere was highly interactive. Participants did not only listen to the presentations but also actively engaged in discussions, asked questions, and shared their experiences. Overall, IKMASA Future Leaders 2026 ran smoothly and provided a positive impact on students’ soft skills development, particularly in communication and leadership.

This program is expected to serve as an initial foundation for Arabic Literature students at UGM to become better prepared in facing future challenges, both in academic and professional fields.

[Arabic Literature, Indana Zulfa Maulida]