Refan Aditya, The Modern Endangered Archives Program (MEAP)

On September 21, 2024, Tangerang’s Chinatown Pasar Lama was abuzz with the cheers of thousands of people. They came to witness the most anticipated procession of the Benteng Chinese Peranakan: Gotong Toapekong 12 tahunan (12-yearly of Gotong Toapekong). Since it is only performed once every 12 years in the Dragon year of the lunar calendar, thousands of tourists flock from all over to visit this Chinatown district.

Gotong Toapekong is one of the most grandiose Chinese folk religion rituals that engages the wider public, not only the Chinese but also the non-Chinese communities around, making this ritual performace as a part of the mass culture that is both sacred and festive. Gotong Toapekong presents a parade of kimsin or deity statues that are taken out of the klenteng and carried around the city or Chinatown, serenaded with various art performances, such as drumming music, tatung, or spirit medium, and cengge or cosplay (costume play) of Chinese legendary figures such as Sun Go Kong and the Goddess of Kwan Im. Hence, Gotong Toapekong features the street as an important place where Chinese folk religion is performed and preserved, alongside the klenteng, Chinese cemetery, and home. read more

Steve G. C. Gaspersz, Universitas Kristen Indonesia Maluku – Ambon

The ICRS researchers’ team presented their latest research at the ICRS Special Panel of The 6th International Conference and Consolidation on Indigenous Religion (ICIR) on 24 October 2024 at the Institut Agama Kristen Negeri (IAKN) Ambon. All three presented a very rigorous analytical perspective with excellent qualitative data. Let’s take a quick look at the content of the research they presented.

• Leonard C. Epafras, “Digital Inclusivity of Believers in Almighty God (Penghayat Kepercayaan): Comprehending the Digital Realm as a Space of Becoming in a Polarized Society”. In his presentation, the Penghayat are described as a group of ancestral believers, cultural communities (adat), spiritual movements, and recipients of mental health services, which are examined on how they respond to three issues: (1) the formulation of the definition of religion by the government; (2) a scaled campaign on digital literacy; and (3) post-2017 political polarization. The believer’s strategy to present themselves as a minority in a majority-minded society was also discussed.
• Hendrikus P. Kaunang, “Navigating Digital Realms: Hospitality and Hostility Encountered by the Baduy Community”. This presentation explores the dynamics of interaction between the Baduy community and the digital world. This study aims to explore how digital inclusion affects the Baduy community in the categories of hospitality and hostility. On one hand, digital access opens up opportunities to widely introduce cultural practices, education, and economic prospects through tourism. However, on the other hand, the context also exposes them to cultural dilution, cyber threats, and the erosion of cultural values that have an impact on the emergence of social frictions.
• David A. H. Rafsanjani, “Being Citizen and Netizen: The Dynamics and Challenges of Organisasi Si Raja Batak as a Minority Group in Indonesia”. This presentation presents the dynamics and challenges of the Organisasi Si Raja Batak which, since its formation in 1971 in North Sumatra, has experienced various forms of discrimination. In the social environment, they experience verbal violence by being labeled as a group of misguided people. As citizens, they are discriminated against because they must continue to list the “official religion” on their ID cards, and their members face hate speech, threats, and prejudice on social media.

In their presentations, the three panelists showed the complexity of the existential issue of indigenous faith communities throughout Indonesian history, which can be thought of as starting when the Indonesian nation-state entity was proclaimed in 1945. The reality of plurality, which was initially accepted as the “spirit of common struggle” against the tyranny of colonialism, then underwent an ideological transformation as a relationship that was loaded with conflicts of interest to get the opportunity to dominate through quantitative calculations that were sociologically labeled as majority-minority relations. The relationship hardens when “majority-minority” is confirmed as a democratic platform that favors social groups with more dominant ethnic and religious identities. read more

By Imanuel Geovasky

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) successfully co-hosted the inaugural Globethics Doctoral School (GDS) 2024 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from September 24th to October 5th, 2024. It was an intensive program in which UGM welcomed outstanding doctoral candidates from different continents and disciplines to collaborate and intellectually debate on the topic of “Inclusive Peace and Responsible Governance.”

GDS 2024 offered a unique blend of academic rigor and cultural immersion. Renowned scholars such as Dicky Sofjan (Core Doctoral Faculty at the Indonesia Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), UGM, Indonesia and the Vice President of Globethics)), Greta Balliu (Associate Professor at the School of Management in Fribourg, Switzerland), Simone Sinn (Professor of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology at the Protestant Theological Faculty of the University of Münster, Germany), José Antonio David (Professor at the Business School of the Catholic University of Córdoba; the Center for Social Innovation of the University of San Andrés, and Globethics), and Amélé Ekué (Professor of ethics with a specialization in intercultural ethics, migration, religion, violence and peace, and the Academic Dean of Globethics) delivered stimulating lectures and workshops that delved critically into various aspects of inclusive peace and responsible governance. read more

In collaboration with the Association for Asian Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada will host the 2024 AAS-in-Asia Conference from July 9-11 in Yogyakarta. With around 1,000 people, this is a must-attend event for researchers both inside and outside of Asia.

The theme of the conference is “Global Asias,” which offers a fresh perspective on history, theory, and methodology while examining the diversity, complexity, and dynamics of Asia in relation to both its obvious and hidden links with other parts of the world and with Asia itself from antiquity to the present. The AAS-in-Asia Conference is held in Indonesia, where pluralism lives in its history, constitution, culture, languages, religions, and physical geography. The city of Yogyakarta will be well suited for our intellectual and cultural exchange in global Asia. read more

M. Rizal Abdi

How come something that wasn’t written in the Bible became the core of Christianity teaching?

The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith and the most prominent distinctive aspect of Christianity. Interestingly, the word “Trinity” is never found in the Bible. Yet, the absence of the term doesn’t necessarily mean the doctrine is unbiblical. The essence and the logic of its doctrine are biblical. Moreover, under the light of the doctrine of the Trinity, Christians perform their daily basis in understanding and manifesting the Word of God. This article tries to examine how the doctrine of the Trinity reflects what the bible said and, more importantly, how different kinds of Christians understood the doctrine in diverse ways. The discussion would help us to identify the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the doctrine of the Trinity for Christians. read more

Athanasia Safitri

Aliyuna Pratisti, a lecturer and independent writer, completed her doctoral degree earlier this year with research focusing on the religious dimension in coastal adaptation processes. She presented her findings on the Wednesday Forum on 8 May where she narrated two Muslim communities’ responses to the coastal abrasion on the northern coast of Java. She claimed that her research aims to explore the interaction of religion and adaptation from Muslims’ perspectives since these two Muslims experienced coastal abrasion and included religious dimensions in their adaptive strategies. read more

Hongsok Lee

The topic of the Wednesday Forum on May 15, 2024, was the long-standing role of religion in environmental stewardship. June Cahyaningtyas, a lecturer at the Department of International Relations at Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” University in Yogyakarta,  argues that religion is sometimes seen as contributing to environmental exploitation through its teaching of the primacy of humans over nature, but on the other hand, religion is also seen as providing a framework that leads humans to become environmental protectors. She focuses on the gender aspect in particular, arguing that women have always done most of the environmental work without being recognized for it. She attempts to present the experiences of urban women in Java who have been actively involved in environmental activities in their daily lives. read more

Hendrikus Paulus Kaunang

The Baduy community, with its unique cultural values and practices, remains relatively isolated from the outside world. It divides into two main groups, Baduy Dalam and Baduy Luar; they share the same ethnic and cultural background but differ significantly in lifestyle, customs, and interactions with the outside world. This distinctiveness underscores the importance of digital literacy in preserving their traditions and connecting them with the global community.

For complete story, please visit: https://www.pasca.ugm.ac.id/v3.0/en/release.sub-5483 read more

Hendrikus Paulus Kaunang

The doctoral program of Inter-Religious Studies (S3 IRS), in collaboration with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), is embarking on a pivotal two-year (2024-2025) research project. This project, focusing on Digital Inclusion and its Dynamics among Indigenous Religious Communities in Indonesia, is led by Dr. Leonard Chrysostomos Epafras. The research team, including Hendrikus Paulus Kaunang, M.A., Ida Fitri Astuti, M.A., David Akbar Hasyemi Rafsanjani, S.S., and Yeni Yulianti, M.A. (BRIN), has been actively conducting field research since March 2024. These field visits to various indigenous religious communities in Lampung, Riau, Medan, Bangka Belitung, East Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku have provided invaluable insights into the dynamics of digital inclusion among them. read more