The journey within the 1000 Digital Startup Movement began with enthusiasm and hope for a group of participants involved. This program offers an extraordinary opportunity for them to establish a startup intensively over six months. The program combines online and offline meetings in a hybrid format, allowing participants to connect and collaborate effectively. Their first meeting took place at the Hack4ID event, held at the TILC building, Vocational School, Universitas Gadjah Mada. There, the team members—Adri, Ahmad, Boby, Padma, and soon-to-join Alfin—met for the first time, forming a group that would later become their comrades-in-arms. This Hack4ID event spanned two days, from Saturday, March 2 to Sunday, March 3, 2024, and was filled with valuable learning experiences. Participants were taught to be more aware in identifying problems and proposing solutions based on solid data, not just assumptions.

In this meeting, they were also challenged to quickly decide on the type of startup they wanted to establish and the field they would focus on. After intense discussions, they agreed to create HaloCats, a startup in the pet care industry. Their goal was simple but significant—to make it easier for cat owners to sterilize their pets safely and comfortably. However, this meeting wasn’t just about work. It also marked the beginning of a friendship they built together, forming a strong foundation for facing the long and challenging journey of building this startup. HaloCats now stands as a tangible proof of the team’s collaboration and hard work, and they are ready to face the next challenges with full enthusiasm.

[Public Relations, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Written by: Rifal Fadlurrahman, Editor: Aldiza]

The Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held a Cultural Anthropology Proposal Seminar as an essential step for students before conducting fieldwork. The seminar was divided into 10 clusters, including Care and Health, Economy, Environment and Humanity, Infrastructure, Arts & Media, Youth, Gender, Farmers, Communities, and Popular Culture, with a total of 58 participating students. This open forum was attended by examiners, and graduate student mentors (Master’s and Ph.D.), and was also open to the public.

Each day, 10 to 20 students presented their research proposals, where they received feedback and constructive suggestions from faculty and mentors. The seminar took place over three days—Thursday, September 19, 2024, Friday, September 20, 2024, and Monday, September 23, 2024. It was held in three rooms (Soegondo 511, 514, and 709), with 12 faculty members serving as examiners and 9 graduate students as mentors. In the seminar, each student presented their research proposal in front of the examiners and mentors, followed by a discussion session to provide suggestions and critiques. The goal was to help students refine their research plans before heading into the field.

One of the examiners, Dr. Muhammad Zamzam Fauzanafi, S.Ant., M.A., or more commonly known as Mas Zamzam, emphasized that the beginning of research stems from our curiosity or the questions we want to answer. He stressed the importance of thoroughly reviewing research questions before starting a project. This was intended to ensure the alignment of the title with the question, define the research boundaries, and deepen the students’ understanding of their chosen topic. Throughout the discussions, Mas Zamzam consistently asked students to further explain their research questions, urging them to reflect critically on their research approach. The hope was that by the time they enter the field, students will have a clear grasp of the data needed and the appropriate boundaries based on their research topic.

The Cultural Anthropology Proposal Seminar was not only a critical academic milestone for students but also supported several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality). Through mentoring and open discussions, students were trained to gain a deeper understanding of the social, economic, and cultural issues they were investigating. The aim is that their research will make meaningful contributions toward addressing societal challenges such as social inequality, health problems, environmental issues, gender, and community concerns—ultimately contributing to more inclusive and sustainable development.

[FIB UGM PR, Writer: Bonifacius Edo, Editor: Aldiza, Translator: Aldiza]

Dr. Sita Hidayah, a lecturer from the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), was invited by the Laboratory for Language and Cultural Studies (LKBB) of the Faculty of Humanities, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Malang, to speak at a Workshop on Ethnographic Research in Culture. The event took place on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, and was attended by university leaders, faculty members, and lecturers from across the campus. The workshop, divided into two sessions, was held at the 3rd-floor auditorium of the Faculty of Humanities.

In her presentation, Dr. Sita, affectionately known as “Mbak Sita,” emphasized the importance of understanding paradigms in research. She stressed that paradigms serve as guiding frameworks in both research and writing. Discussing paradigms, she explained, is crucial to understanding their strengths and weaknesses in the context of theory, as each discipline has paradigms that provide specific direction or ideology. These paradigms, often referred to as theoretical frameworks or conceptual frameworks, help distinguish social sciences from humanities. While the social sciences rely on empirical facts (external), the humanities are rooted in interpretation and understanding (internal). Different paradigms, such as phenomenology, structuralism, and ethnoscience, come with their own methods, analyses, and approaches.

Dr. Sita also referenced her mentor, Prof. Dr. Heddy Shri Ahimsa-Putra, M.A., M.Phil, who has written extensively on paradigms. His works delve into fundamental perspectives that influence key elements such as basic assumptions, values, research topics, models, concepts, research methods, analytical methods, and ethnographic representation. Besides paradigms, Dr. Sita highlighted the importance of addressing the concept of “truth,” especially in the context of UIN, where the majority of attendees are Muslim, to align on shared perceptions of truth in research. Truth, she explained, is empirical and can be explored through two approaches: quantitative (surveys, questionnaires, polling) and qualitative (ethnography). In anthropology, ethnography is often employed, where data comes from community actions and statements gathered in everyday contexts, rather than being directed by the researcher. The ethnographic method typically involves extended stays, mastery of the local language, and the researcher as the primary instrument through participant observation.

The workshop participants displayed great enthusiasm, evident from the numerous questions they posed. Beyond the Q&A session, participants and speakers also shared their experiences in conducting research. Those interested in following the discussions can view the event on the YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ExX2BC413Q

[Public Relation of FIB UGM, Author: Dewi N, Editor: Aldiza, Translator: Aldiza]

Wednesday, May 8, 2024 – The Austrian Embassy in Indonesia and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs collaborated with the Jakarta Concert Orchestra to celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Austria. The “Symphony of Friendship” Orchestra Concert was held on Wednesday (8/5) at the Jakarta Concert Hall, iNews Tower Building. Several distinguished guests, such as the Austrian Ambassador to Indonesia, the Director General for American and European Affairs of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as diplomats and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strategic partners, were invited to attend the concert.

The orchestra concert, conducted by Avip Priatna, was divided into two parts. In the first part, the Jakarta Concert Orchestra performed works by Anton Bruckner and Johann Strauss. Renowned Austrian violinist Julian Walder, the main guest star of the “Symphony of Friendship” Orchestra Concert, performed a solo of Korngold’s Violin Concerto in the second part.

[Public Relations of FIB UGM, Writer: Arviani Fayzaila Ramadhanti, Translator: Aldiza, Editor: Rifal Fadlurrahman]

The Department of Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada invited Professor Emeritus Sabine Troeger from the University of Bonn to teach a research methodology course. She is both an experienced educator and practitioner with decades of experience in development studies and climate change. Among her achievements is involvement in the design and implementation of programs by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) in various African and Asian countries. The course was held in 14 sessions during September 2024 and was attended by both undergraduate and graduate Anthropology students. The general lecture with Professor Sabine also served as a preparatory class for undergraduate students selected to participate in the 2024 Merdeka Campus Competition Program (PKKM).

In this course, students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of applying participatory methods, widely used to engage communities in empowerment programs. Rather than just listening to lectures, students tried using several tools, such as Venn diagrams, spider diagrams, and well-being matrices, to understand how they can be applied in field data collection. In the second half of the course, students presented readings from scholars like Jurgen Habermas, Foucault, and Robert Chambers, which helped them apply theories to their own research.

Although the course was conducted in a block system with consecutive sessions, participants’ enthusiasm remained high from start to finish. This was due to the varied teaching methods and the active role students played in presenting their ideas. Professor Sabine Troeger expressed her delight in conducting the course and seeing the students’ enthusiasm. To close the course, she invited her students to dinner for an informal discussion about their research interests for the future. The hope is that through such activities, quality education as aligned with SDG 4, and partnerships for shared goals as aligned with SDG 17, can be achieved.

[Public Relation of FIB UGM, Writer: Novilatul Ananda Ramadhani, Editor: Aldiza]