On Friday, March 1, 2024, the Department of History, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held another colloquium for history masters. There were two presenters and two discussants in the colloquium, namely Fajar Santosa and Adi Wildan Alamsyah as presenters, and Dr. Ahmad Athoillah and Dr. Ravando Lie as discussants. The event took place in a hybrid manner (online and offline) from 09.00 to 12.00 WIB in Room 709 Soegondo Building, Faculty of Arts UGM.

Fajar Santosa was the first presenter in the colloquium. He presented his thesis plan entitled “When the People Rebelled: Mass Movements in the 1998 Reformation in Surabaya” which discussed mass movements in the second metropolitan city, Surabaya, during the outbreak of reform events centered in Jakarta. He explained that the demand for reform was caused by the economic crisis that occurred at that time. The crisis caused the price of goods to rise, layoffs occurred in various places, and riots occurred everywhere. The small and middle class people panicked. They formed a social movement demanding reform and the resignation of President Soeharto from office.

Fajar Santosa said that the narrative that has developed so far only describes the reform movement in 1998 as a student movement as a representation of the middle class. Meanwhile, the narrative that explains that reform was driven by all classes, including the small, middle and elite, has not been widely discussed, including in the context of Surabaya. In his thesis plan, Fajar Santosa uses Eric Hoffer’s Mass Movement theory as a conceptual basis.

Next, the thesis plan entitled “The Chinese Community in Jember 1947-1971: Displacement and the Process of Social Integration with Local Communities” was presented by Adi Wildan Alamsyah as the second presenter. He explained that during the Bersiap period (1945-1947), the Chinese community became one of the excluded groups. Around 4000 Chinese refugees from West Java chose Jember as their destination to seek refuge. In the new region, they continued their lives and integrated with the Jemberan community. The soccer game and the existence of the square became a medium of integration between the Chinese refugees and the Jemberan community.

Adi Wildan Alamsyah said that one of the reasons why Jember was chosen as a destination for Chinese refugees was probably because Jember was a member of the Chinese chamber of commerce. Other members of the Chinese chamber of commerce include Cirebon, Bandung, and Batavia as its center. He also said that Jember as a city can be said to be a diaspora city. This is because many people from various tribes and ethnicities have come and settled in Jember, such as Javanese-Madurese, Osing, Mandarese, and Chinese.

SDG 4: Quality education | SDGs 4: Enrolment | SDGs 4: Equal access | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth 

Career Talk: Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs was a discussion program about future careers, especially for English literature graduates, which was organized by IMAJI (English Literature Department Student Association) and attended by various active students of the English Literature study program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, from all generations. The study program deliberately presented a speaker who had a lot of great experience that can be a motivation for students. The speaker was MOHAMAD WAHID SUPRIYADI, Indonesian Ambassador for UAE (2008-2011), Indonesian Ambassador for Russian Federation and Republic of Belarus (2016-2020), Visiting Professor of International Relations from Tomsk State University. The event took place on May 13rd, 2024 at 10 until 12 am in Soegondo room 310, hosted by a Master of Ceremony, Aimar Prabhaswara Dzakri, who is an English literature student at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada.

In this activity, students did not only listen to knowledge from one direction or from the speaker, but they felt reciprocity because they discussed and voiced their opinions which were later commented on and answered by the speaker. They discussed about Indonesians who study or work abroad but do not want to return. Mr. Mohammad Wahid Supriyadi responded that this could not be said to be a traitor or something like that considering the facilities provided by this country to them are not as good as when abroad and even many great people are not appreciated. There were also those who asked about what made him from the UGM English Literature study program finally appointed as an ambassador from Indonesia in Russia with full powers. He also shared that he initially only corrected English documents when no one else could, then was appointed to write speeches of high-ranking officials, then became the minutes of international meetings. Finally, he gave a conclusion at the end of the meeting that the problem of many people is that they are too quiet, as a diplomat you have to talk more.

SDG 4: Quality education | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDGs 4: Equal access | SDGs 4: Cultural diversity | SDG 5: Gender equality | SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Education | SDG 17: Partnerships for goals | SDGs 17: Capacity building

Special Lecture and Workshop on “Gender and Sexuality in Indonesia,” a collaboration between the Department of Behavioral Sciences, College of Arts And Sciences, University of Michigan-Flint, USA, and the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, was held on May 8, 2024. That special lecture and workshop were part of a series of activities in the full summer short course, which will be held fromMay 8, 2024, until May 10, 2024. The theme of this event, “Gender and Sexuality in Indonesia,” was a short course that provides an opportunity to learn from local experts about these topics at Universitas Gadjah Mada, combined with a series of field visits. 

The aim of this short course is to help participants better understand the complexity and diversity of gender and sexuality aspects that intersect with Indonesian society as a whole. This is also an opportunity for students, both from the United States and Indonesia, to gain international perspectives and experiences. This short course is attended by 16 students from the University of Michigan-Flint, USA, under the guidance of Dr. Daniel Birchok. A series of activities has been planned since the beginning of this year, with 8 student committees from the Anthropology Department of Universitas Gadjah Mada under the guidance of Dr. Sita Hidayah and the Department of Anthropology of Universitas Gadjah Mada, led by Prof. Dr. Pujo Semedi.

The event began by listening to the opening speech by Dr. Daniel Birchok. Dr. Birchok is an anthropologist of religion interested in religion and public life, especially Islam in Indonesia. His research focuses on everyday engagements with religious concepts, and he is especially interested in genealogical authority, religious temporalities, and ritual. He is writing about a group of Sufis (Islamic mystics) who reside on the west coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, with special attention to how their changing forms of genealogical authority and evolving notions of orthodoxy reflect the place of religion in the Indonesian state. Next was the opening speech from (Dean/Vice Dean/Head of the Anthropology Department/Representative. 

Before they proceed with next agenda, there were some information regarding the activities of that short course. fisrt, they were conducted a special lecture and workshop featuring 3 remarkable speakers who are lecturers at Universitas Gadjah Mada. Next, there will be a special session conducted by Samsara. Following that, specifically for the 16 students from the University of Michigan-Flint, the committee, and accompanying lecturers, there will be a field trip to Aisyiyah. After that, our activities will continue with field trips to Sanggar Tari Didik Nini Thowok and Pondok Pesantren Waria Al-Fatah. On the final day, the day after tomorrow, activities will proceed with a field trip to Yashanti at Pasar Bringharjo and Rifka Annisa. 

SDGs 1: Basic service | SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth | SDGs 8: Development oriented policy | SDG 10: Reduced inequality | SDGs 10: Development assistance | SDGs 10: Education | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 12: Efficient use of resources

Dr. Realisa Darathea Masardi was invited as a speaker by the Community Studies Unit (USIK) of Parahyangan Catholic University to discuss transnational migration. The discussion, which addressed the handling of refugees in Indonesia, was conducted via Zoom meeting on March 27, 2024, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Participants included not only students from Unpar but also anthropology students from UGM, as well as researchers and migration activists in Indonesia. This migration study was discussed because it has become a growing global issue, with numbers increasing each year.

Dr. Realisa explained refugees by referring to The 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines a refugee as someone unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to factors such as persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. She also noted that the causes of refugee situations have expanded to include extreme climate change, conflict, and economic crises.

Dr. Realisa, affectionately known as Mbak Lisa, discussed the findings of her dissertation research on refugee issues and her encounters with refugees in Jabodetabek, Medan, and Bogor. While discussing refugees, she also shared insights from her brief research on the Rohingya. According to her, since the 1990s, Indonesia has served as a transit point for asylum seekers before they set sail for Australia. However, in 2013, Australia implemented Operation Sovereign Borders, resulting in refugees facing waiting periods of 4-11 years.

Dr. Realisa also discussed Indonesian regulations on refugees and asylum seekers, specifically Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 concerning the handling of refugees from abroad. This regulation only covers discovery, shelter, security, immigration supervision, and funding. It does not mention the rights and access afforded to refugees. The regulation outlines three durable solutions: voluntary repatriation, deportation, and resettlement. Local integration is not an option, which makes it difficult for refugees to sustain themselves, relying on assistance from relatives.

The discussion proceeded very well, touching on topics such as community empowerment of refugees through opening online stores managed by their community, educational scholarships provided by various universities to refugees, and experiences of the refugees, among others.

SDGs 4: Quality Education | SDGs 4: Basic literacy | SDGs 4: Basic literacy skills | SDGs 4: Education for sustainability | SDGs 4: Education | SDGs 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDGs 10: Education | SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities | SDGs 12: Efficient use of resources | SDG 16: Peace justice and strong institutions | SDGs 16: Education

The Department of Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) organized a public lecture addressing an important societal issue: the gap between knowledge and action. This work skills-related lecture was held on May 8, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Soegondo Building 707, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM. The lecture was intended for undergraduate Cultural Anthropology students taking the work skills course but was also open to the public.

The keynote speaker at this event was Dr. Nicholas Goodwin, an expert in behavior change and CEO of Tulodo, a consultancy focused on promoting positive behavior change in society. Dr. Goodwin was accompanied by two work skills course lecturers, Dr. Pande Made Kutanegara, M.Si., and Prof. Dr. Bambang Hudayana, M.A., who provided additional contributions to the discussion.

In his lecture, Dr. Nicholas Goodwin highlighted a major societal issue: many people know what they should do but are either unable or unwilling to do it. An example provided was knowing the importance of doing good deeds but failing to implement them in daily life. “The gap between knowledge and behavior is often overlooked or considered the same, whereas they have significant differences,” stated Dr. Nicholas Goodwin.

According to Dr. Nicholas Goodwin, the lack of understanding of the difference between knowledge and behavior is the root of the problem. To address this, a better understanding is needed on how knowledge can be transformed into consistent and sustainable actions. Dr. Nicholas Goodwin also introduced the concept of “work skills pockets” developed by Tulodo, aimed at providing practical tools and strategies for individuals to change their behavior.

This public lecture aligns with the spirit of SDG number 4, which aims to provide quality education for all, and SDG number 8, which emphasizes the importance of creating decent work and sustainable economic growth. By enhancing the understanding of the difference between knowledge and behavior, and by developing comprehensive work skills pockets, it is hoped to contribute positively to achieving these SDG goals.

This work skills public lecture is expected to provide new insights for UGM Anthropology Department students on the importance of transforming knowledge into concrete actions in daily life. It is hoped that the knowledge gained from this lecture can be implemented by students in their roles in society to create positive and sustainable change.

Author: Afif Naufal Widiadi