Muhammad Rhaka Katresna

In June 2025, an extraordinary event unfolded simultaneously in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and Utrecht, Netherlands: the NICMCR Pokja’s Joint Research Kick-Off Programme. Under the evocative theme, “Decolonising Knowledge: Rethinking Research in Gender, Ecology, and Education,” this gathering marked the beginning of a crucial three-year joint research project. It was not just an academic meeting, but a deliberate act of bridge-building. Its dual purpose was to critique Eurocentric academic paradigms and to begin a creative, restorative effort to reclaim diverse, local knowledge traditions. The core aim was to collaboratively reframe research by foregrounding local epistemologies, supporting participatory approaches, and challenging the deep-seated colonial legacies in academia. read more

Rezza Prasetyo Setiawan

On 24–25 April 2025, ICRS organized an unconference titled “Polarization and Its Discontent in the Global South: Mitigation Measures, Strategies, and Policies.” The “unconference” format prioritizes free-flowing conversations instead of structured presentations, which exemplifies a decolonial shift toward reconfiguring colonial logic embedded within academic institutions. This article argues that an unconference setting provides a critique against academic elitism by decentralizing authority and fostering plural bodies of knowledge. The article highlights how the unconference setting contrasts the conventional conference in a collaborative effort toward the decolonization of Global South academia. read more

Anthon jason

“Det, it is better for me to die fighting against geothermal, than to die because of the impact of geothermal.” Eme’s words in the film “Di Bawah Bayang-Bayang Mata Bor”

struck at the core of our humanity for all who watched the film. The screening was conducted at a parallel session of the Unconference entitled Polarization and Its Discontent in the Global South on April 24, 2025. The 32-minute film was produced by Terracota Films, Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia Indonesia (PBHI) Jawa Barat, and BandungBergerak. read more

Imanuel Geovasky

In a global society that is growing more and more characterized by disintegration, a problem of grave international concern is the persistent concentration of polarization (Carothers & O’Donohue 2019, Dilmaghani 2020, McCoy et al. 2022). This global trend is also reproduced at the national level, where many acts of intolerance continue to enlarge cleavages. Against such a rough backdrop, one question lies at the bottom: is it possible that depolarization, the reduction or reversal of social cleavage, may originate from the bottom, from the “below”? This question challenges whether or not communities can mend ideological and social divides themselves, rather than relying on top-down measures. read more

Afkar Aristoteles

In today’s polarized world, gender issues are an important topic of discussion because they are related to building a just society. However, various experts have highlighted that efforts that should support gender equality are often based on biased perspectives and misrecognized.

The topic of gender justice and polarization became a discussion cluster at the Unconference: “Polarization and Its Discontents in the Global South: Mitigation Measures, Strategies, and Policies”. This activity was organized by the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) Yogyakarta by presenting communities, academics, and activists from local to international levels at the University Club (UC) UGM, April 25-26, 2025. read more

Fuji Riang Prastowo

The Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) has once more exhibited its intellectual and ethical leadership by facilitating critical worldwide discussions at the nexus of faith, politics, and technology. During the recent unconference titled “Polarization and its Discontents in the Global South,” conducted in Yogyakarta on April 24-25, 2025, the second plenary session—“Digital Polarization and Inclusion among Indigenous Religious Communities”—transcended traditional academic dialogue. It provided not only essential insights but also fervent calls for fundamental reform in the conceptualization and implementation of digital inclusion. read more

Hanny Nadhirah

“Who gets to define Pancasila? Or more bluntly, siapa sih yang paling Pancasilais (who is the most Pancasilaist)? This question reminds us of Indonesia’s long history of monopolizing the interpretation of Pancasila, particularly under the Suharto regime, when it became an instrument of political control. Suharto’s famous claim, “Those who criticize me criticize Pancasila,” set the tone for silencing dissent and narrowing the space for diverse interpretations.

In response to this legacy and to reopen the conversation, a documentary film entitled “Pancasila is Me” was launched at the Unconference on Polarization and its Discontent in the Global South hosted by the Indonesian Consortium of Religious Studies (ICRS). Rather than offering a normative account of Pancasila’s importance of history, the film invites audiences to explore the multiple paradoxes that continue to shape its meaning in Indonesia’s evolving journey. read more

Rezza P. Setiawan
Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies

Polarization is so pervasive that it touches almost every aspect of our lives, including the issues of religion, environment, social, politics, and economy. Thus, polarization cannot be viewed separately from other interrelated issues, which requires scholars to observe its many aspects in order to understand the phenomenon.

ICRS’ (un)conference titled “Polarization and its Discontent in the Global South: Mitigation Measures, Strategies, and Policies” was held on 24–25 April 2025 at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. The discussion invited four speakers from diverse backgrounds: Daniel Medina from the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), Colombia; Ana Carolina Evangelista from the Institute of Studies on Religion (ISER), Brazil; Nicholas Adams from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Nurhuda Ramli from IMAN Research, Malaysia; with Dicky Sofjan from ICRS and Globethics moderating the discussion. This article will present polarization not as an isolated entity but as a complex phenomenon in entanglement with many other intersecting phenomena by highlighting several talking points of the plenary session speakers. read more

Anthon Jason

“In our community, we have our own understanding of energy. For us, energy can mean land. Land is energy, forest is energy. Whereas for the current government, with its energy transition concept, energy is reduced to electricity. This impoverishes the meaning of energy”. A simple explanation arising from awareness of how knowledge can be polarized. How does this polarization relate to environmental justice?

This article aims to capture the ideas discussed in two discussion sessions on April 25, 2025, the second day of the Unconference entitled Polarization and Its Discontent in the Global South. The first session was a plenary session on the topic “Cross-Country Conversations on Polarization of Narratives and Environmental Justice,” moderated by Zainal Abidin Bagir (ICRS) with three speakers. The first speaker was Al Ayubi (Cerah Foundation, Jakarta), the second speaker was Ana Carolina Evangelista (ISER, Brazil), and the third speaker was Jonathan Smith (CRCS UGM, Yogyakarta). The second session was a parallel session in the form of group discussions continuing the discussion in the plenary session on the theme of Polarization and Environmental Justice in the Global South and facilitated by Samsul Maarif (CRCS UGM). read more