Doing Cultural Research in the Global South panel discussion & The Art of Environmental Activism in Indonesia Book Launch
This page recaps Day 1 of the two-day event hosted by the Indonesia Forum, in collaboration with colleagues from Cultural Studies at Universitas Indonesia and The University of Melbourne’s School of Culture and Communication. The event took place on April 18-19, 2024, at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre.
The event for Day 1 (April 18) was chaired by event host Dr Annisa Beta and was opened by Indonesia Forum co-Convenor Dr Wulan Dirgantoro.
Panel Discussion: ‘Doing Cultural Research in the Global South’
What does it mean to ‘do’ cultural research in the Global South?
In ‘Smart Kampung: doing cultural studies in the Global South‘, Melani Budianta (2019) posits that cultural researchers studying Asia need “to unsettle the postcolonial knowledge formation by putting into dialogue whatever is usable from transnational critical theories with the local realities, and inter-referencing it with other Asian concepts.”
As megacities are rising in developing countries, Indonesia in the 2010s has shifted attention toward marginalised urban and rural villages, the paper observes cultural movements arising from kampung as locus of critical engagement with the complexities of the Global South in the twenty-first century.
This panel discussion featured Prof. Melani Budianta, Prof. Manneke Budiman, and Dr Gietty Tambunan, who offered critical reflections on the practices of cultural research, drawing from studies of activism, literature, and popular culture in Indonesia.
Their insights aim to provoke a deeper consideration of how researchers from and interested in the Global South can ethically and critically represent narratives from regions often positioned as the ‘other.’
Book Launch: ‘The Art of Environmental Activism in Indonesia: Shifting Horizons’
Associate Professor Edwin Jurriëns, Deputy Associate Dean International-Indonesia and Associate Professor in Indonesian Studies at The University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, published his latest book titled The Art of Environmental Activism in Indonesia: Shifting Horizons, where he analyses the intersections between contemporary art and environmental activism in Indonesia.
Exploring how the arts have promoted ecological awareness from the late 1960s to the early 2020s, the book shows how the arts have contributed to societal change and public and political responses to environmental crises. This period covers Indonesia’s rapid urban development under the totalitarian New Order regime (1967–1998) as well as the enhanced freedom of expression, alternative development models, and environmental problems under the democratic governments since 1998.
The book applies the concept of ‘artivism’ to refer to the vital role of art in activism. It seeks to identify and contextualise both the potential and limits of environmental artivism in Indonesia, a country whose vibrant art scenes and monumental social transformations provide a productive laboratory for exploring the power of creativity as a social and political change agent. It provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary art from Indonesia, with an in-depth analysis of artivists who seek to address and find solutions for some of the most pressing environmental issues of our times.
The book was launched by Dr Michelle Antoinette, Art History Researcher and Director of the Bachelor of Art History and Curatorial program at Monash University.
More about the event
The Indonesia Forum, in collaboration with the School of Culture and Communication, are delighted to welcome our colleagues Prof. Melani Budianta, Prof. Manneke Budiman, and Dr Gietty Tambunan from the Cultural Studies department at Universitas Indonesia, for their visit to Melbourne on April 18-19, 2024, at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre.
The event was funded by the Indonesia Strategic Engagement Group (ISEG) initiative from The University of Melbourne and hosted by Dr Annisa Beta.
The first day featured two events in one panel. The session with Universitas Indonesia delegates Prof. Budianta, Prof. Budiman, and Dr Tambunan was chaired by Dr Annisa Beta and opened by Indonesia Forum Co-Convenor Dr Wulan Dirgantoro. This was followed by Monash University’s Dr Michelle Antoinette‘s book launch for A.Prof. Edwin Jurriëns‘ book, titled The Art of Environmental Activism in Indonesia: Shifting Horizons.
The second day included two hybrid events. The first was the presentation of the new book, Gender, Islam and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesia, edited by Prof. Monika Arnez and Prof. Melani Budianta, and launched by A.Prof. Sharyn Graham Davies from Monash University’s Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Centre. The second event was a film screening featuring the documentary filmmaker and star Anggun, who joined us for a Q&A session. The discussion was led by Prof. Melani Budianta. Indonesia Forum Convenor Dr Monika Winarnita chaired the session, with an introduction by Dr Annisa Beta.
