Notes from the field: Emban Mas'ud "Navigating Formal and Informal Politics in Community Forestry"

“Through the AIFIS-Luce funded programs, I successfully achieved all my research objectives, significantly advancing our understanding of conservation strategies in Indonesia. This work not only highlights the importance of integrating formal and informal approaches but also paves the way for more inclusive and effective policy- making. Additionally, the support and resources provided have laid a strong foundation for my ongoing academic pursuits and future contributions to the field.”-Emban Mas’ud

Meet Emban Mas’ud, an AIFIS-Luce research fellows who traveled to the US November-December 2024 to advance research on navigating formal and informal politics in community forestry. During a transformative fellowship funded by AIFIS-Luce, the researcher pursued a project examining the intersection of political dynamics and sustainable forest management, with a focus on Indonesia. The fellowship provided a unique platform to explore conservation strategies, combining formal and informal approaches to empower local communities and foster culturally relevant initiatives.

The journey began with a research visit to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where the researcher utilized the Hamilton Library's resources, and met with Micah Fisher (AIFIS Board Member, Assistant Professor | Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution), participated in weekly writing sessions, and engaged in academic courses and seminars. Immersion in the student community at Hale Manoa deepened cultural understanding and encouraged civic engagement, including volunteer work in the East-West Center Garden.

Unexpectedly, the researcher expanded their horizons by visiting Tucson, Arizona, exploring conservation practices that emphasize water and ranch management, which guided by Professor (emeritus) Larry Fisher. Participating in activities such as fundraising for the Empire Ranch Foundation and observing decision-making at the Altar Valley Conservation Alliance provided practical insights into community-driven conservation efforts.

These experiences culminated in significant scholarly contributions, including an article on the integration of formal and informal politics in forest development projects and a PhD proposal submitted to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The fellowship dismantled barriers to studying abroad, opening doors to future academic opportunities and collaborations.

Congratulations Emban, on a successful research trip to the US! AIFIS is honored to support the scholarly advancement of Indonesian scholars like Emban Mas’ud, and in turn to advance interdisciplinary scholarship about Indonesia by Indonesian scholars in the United States.

Notes from the field: Aqida Salma "Hybrid Movements, Digital Technology, and the Rise of Far-Right Islamist Protest Mobilization in Indonesia"

“During my visit, I had the chance to meet my host, Professor Thomas Pepinsky, and attend a lecture by Professor Francis Fukuyama during his visit to Cornell. I shared an office space with Cornell students and postdoctoral researchers, which turned out to be a rewarding experience. Their guidance on navigating research and academic careers proved incredibly valuable. They also helped review my manuscript, which has been accepted for publication next year. Additionally, I attended a political economy colloquium at the Mercatus Center in Arlington, Virginia. At the colloquium, I engaged with Mercatus Center scholars, including Professor Peter Boettke, Professor Christopher Coyne, and other PhD scholars from the US, UK, and Germany. These interactions, though brief, provided valuable academic exchanges and expanded my professional network. The support from AIFIS has been exceptional, enabling me to focus on achieving my research goals while providing opportunities to connect with leading scholars.”-Aqida Salma

Meet Aqida Salma, an AIFIS-Luce research fellows who traveled to the US April-June 2024 to advance research on Hybrid Movements, Digital Technology, and the Rise of Far-Right Islamist Protest Mobilization in Indonesia. Aqida Salma's research journey, supported by the AIFIS-Luce Fellowship, represents a significant milestone in understanding the digital strategies and mobilization tactics of far-right Islamist movements in Indonesia. Her work addresses a crucial gap in the study of far-right extremism in Southeast Asia, highlighting its digital dimensions and global implications.

The fellowship also facilitated invaluable networking opportunities. Through interactions with esteemed scholars, including her host Prof. Thomas Pepinsky at Cornell University and participants at the Mercatus Center colloquium, Aqida built a robust professional network. This not only advanced her current research but also paved the way for future academic endeavors, including securing additional funding to continue her studies in the United States.

Aqida's dedication has culminated in notable scholarly contributions. Her forthcoming publications in prestigious journals and her recognition at international conferences underscore the impact of her work. Beyond academia, her research offers critical insights for policymakers striving to regulate digital spaces and strengthen democratic processes in Indonesia. While her fellowship experience was deeply enriching, Aqida sees room for enhancing future fellow interactions. She advocates for AIFIS to organize larger networking events and collaborative workshops, which could foster stronger connections among scholars and aid early-career researchers in navigating the academic landscape.

Congratulations Aqida, on a successful research trip to the US! AIFIS is honored to support the scholarly advancement of Indonesian scholars like Aqida Salma, and in turn to advance interdisciplinary scholarship about Indonesia by Indonesian scholars in the United States.

Notes from the field: Muzayin Nazaruddin, "Living with risk: exploring local narratives on hazard and disaster”

“During the preparation and execution of my fellowship, I have had very supportive relations with AIFIS, my host institution, and supervisor Prof Webb Keane. During the AIFIS fellowship, I had the opportunity and sufficient time to engage in theoretical reflection, finalize my dissertation and submit it for the doctoral defense, and start my book project with the help of AIFIS fellowship. Key milestones in this effort included: formulating the main arguments of the book, identifying key books to engage with in developing the arguments, defining the academic field of the book, and selecting the targeted book series and publisher. This will be my long-term project, not only a one-year project.” - Muzayyin Nazaruddin

Meet Muzayin Nazaruddin, an AIFIS-Luce research fellows who traveled to the US September-October 2024 to advance research on the topic of, “Living with Risk: Exploring Local Narratives on Hazard and Disaster,” which is also the title of his book project. His visit led him to the Dept of Anthropology, University of Michigan to explore the collections and collaborate with his supervisor, Prof. Webb Keane. He also participated in academic discussions and gained insights from the host institution's resources and scholarly community.

The fellowship provided the time and opportunity for theoretical reflection and intensive writing. He worked on a proposal for Living with risk. The book itself examines the interplay between indigenous and modern scientific knowledge in disaster mitigation, particularly in the context of Mount Merapi, Indonesia. It also highlights the historical, cultural, and practical dynamics of Javanese disaster management practices and their hybridization with modern volcanology. In the realm of practical disaster policy, his book aligns with global strategies for disaster risk reduction which emphasize the integration of traditional and indigenous perspective alongside the scientific knowledge in disaster risk assessment. Regular consultations with Prof. Webb Keane helped refine his ideas and approach.

The fellowship was instrumental in helping with the completion of his dissertation, initiating his book project, and building academic collaborations.

Congratulations Muzayin, on a successful research trip to the US! AIFIS is honored to support the scholarly advancement of Indonesian scholars like Muzayin, and in turn to advance interdisciplinary scholarship about Indonesia by Indonesian scholars in the United States.

Notes from the Field: Ratri Istania, “Ethnic Power Dynamics and Regional Proliferation - Unpacking Conflict Triggers in Indonesia's Decentralization”

“I traveled from Indonesia to the United States, a journey that marked the start of an extraordinary experience as an AIFIS-Luce Research Fellow. My interactions with renowned scholars and experts in Indonesian, Southeast Asian, and international relations had expanded my professional network to include scholars across disciplines. These encounters, occurring in offices, classrooms, seminars, and even casual lunches or dinners, underscored the immense value of building networks with scholars not only in my field of interest but also across various academic disciplines.” - Ratri Istania, PhD

Meet Dr. Ratri Istania, an AIFIS-Luce research fellows who traveled to the US October-November 2024 to advance research on ethnicity, power-sharing dynamics, and democracy within the framework of Indonesia’s decentralization policy. Her visit first led her to the Southeast Program (SEAP) at Cornell University to explore the collections, observe classes, and collaborate with scholars from the Department of Government, Dr. Thomas Pepinsky (AIFIS Board Member) and Dr. Peter Katzenstein.

From there she traveled to Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb to observe classes and gain research insights from Dr. Scot Schraufnagel (Political Science) and Dr. Eric Jones (History), visit the Founders Memorial Library, and attend a book talk at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (NIU CSEAS). Additionally, Ratri connected with a number of Indonesian scholars conducting research and teaching in the US, including Rafif Imawan (Deputy Executive Director, Populi Center, Jakarta) and Dr. Etin Anwar (Religious Studies, Hobart & William Smith College).

Check out Ratri’s jointly authored publication with Rafif Imawan, "Authoritarian Nostalgia and Democratic Decline in Contemporary Indonesia,"  published online, July 23, 2024

Next, Ratri visited her graduate school and post-doctoral alma mater, Loyola University Chicago. There she attended cross-disciplinary meetings hosted by the Political Science Department to explore potential research collaborations with her home institution, the Populi Center in Jakarta, delivered a lecture entitled Strategic Advocacy in Post-Election Indonesia: Shaping Inclusive Policies for Marginalized Communities, and reconnected with her graduate and post-graduate advisors from the Department of Political Science, Dr. Alexandru Grigorescu and Dr. Olga Avdeyeva, among others.

Finally, Ratri’s research trip concluded with a visit to the University of Wisconsin at Madison where she conducted a guest lecture at the UW-Madison Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Speaking on the theme of “Authoritarian Nostalgia and Democratic Decline in Contemporary Indonesia,” Ratri’s talk was accompanied with opening remarks by Dr. Mary McCoy (Outreach Director, Center for Southeast Asian Studies; Teaching Faculty, Department of Communication Arts) and introduction by Dr. Eunsook Jung (AIFIS Board Member and Assistant Dean, Academic Deans' Services, College of Letters and Science).

Congratulations, Ratri, on a successful research trip to the US! AIFIS is honored to support the scholarly advancement of Indonesian scholars like Ratri, and in turn to advance interdisciplinary scholarship about Indonesia by Indonesian scholars in the United States.

Click here to read More about Ratri’s full research experience.

Notes from the field: David Novak, “Digitizing Popular Music Archives in Contemporary Indonesia”

“My AIFIS project, Digitizing Popular Music Archives in Contemporary Indonesia, is part of my larger ethnographic research on informal sound archives and the influence of far-flung groups of “diggers” – record collectors, cassette dealers, unofficial scribes and protectors of popular culture - on global histories of popular music. The cassettes and vinyl records they hold on to are often considered lost and forgotten, and many remain undigitized and undocumented. They are considered obsolete, and may appear to be things of mere nostalgia, or of niche connoiseurship. Yet diggers keep the material presence of Indonesian sound media, and its historical narratives, in circulation. Collectors expand the conditions of possibility for a decolonial aurality, and offer a way of repairing global music history to address its “forgotten” edges. This project focuses particularly on the impact of the cassette, and its role in preserving and circulation Indonesian popular music history. In contemporary Northern societies, cassettes had a short life: but in Indonesia, the cassette was the first truly public medium of recorded music, and rested at the center of local media industries for decades.

In an ongoing collaboration with the staff of Irama Nusantara, an archival organization that has been digitizing Indonesian sound media and making it accessible online since 2013, I documented the process of archival transfer and preservation through an ethographic study of tape markets, collectors, and cassette dealers in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, and Surabaya. Cassettes are increasingly threatened objects, devalued for their poor quality, dated contents, and mass-produced ubiquity. Although they have recently developed some cultural capital among an elite core of young listeners, tapes have little status compared with vinyl, and are widely perceived as too common to be collectible. Yet the cassette holds the majority of Indonesian popular music history within its reels. In definitive ways, then, this humble object has shaped the public culture of recorded sound in Indonesia. Its continuing relevance into the musical worlds of the 2020s activates digital networks that open up historical sound media for new public listenerships. Online archives like Irama Nusantara reveal that living histories unspool from cassettes; and the digital cassette archive shows us that historical materials always need to be used to stay alive.”

Notes from the field: Eko Widianto, ”Strengthening the Existence of the Indonesian Language in The United States: An Ethnographic Study”

I had the privilege of working under the supervision of Professor Michael Cullinane, Associate Director of the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Professor G.G. Weix from the University of Montana. Professor Cullinane provided invaluable advice on identifying potential respondents for oral history interviews and granted me access to the SEASSI archives. His expertise as a historian also broadened the scope of my research. Additionally, Professor G.G. Weix facilitated access to an oral history interview with Prof. John U. Wolff, an early Indonesian language instructor, and the archives at Cornell University.-Eko Widianto

Meet Eko Widianto, an AIFIS-Luce Fellow Researcher at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research delves into the history of teaching Indonesian in the United States from the 1940s to the present day. From June - July 2024 he was immersed in field research, primarily conducting oral history interviews at the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute, UW-Madison. Eko also explored numerous archives including the UW-Madison Memorial Library and the Olin Library at Cornell University. His work sheds new light on the educational and cultural intersections between Indonesia and the United States.

Check out this interview conducted by Eko Widianto in conversation with Toenggoel P. Siagian, focusing on the history of teaching Indonesian in the United States!

Benny Bascara: “An Ecological View of Religion among the Bajo Community of Central Sulawesi” (Presented in Indonesian)

AIFIS bekerjasama dengan Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Yogyakarta (STAIYO) menyelenggarakan Kuliah Umum “Pandangan Ekologis Agama Masyarakat Bajo Di Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia,” dengan pembicara, Benny Baskara, Ph.D. (AIFIS Fellow, Dosen Universitas Halu Oleo, Sulawesi Tenggara).

Masyarakat Bajo adalah kelompok etnis yang unik, karena tidak seperti kebanyakan orang lain yang tinggal di darat, mereka hidup di laut. Oleh karena itu mereka lebih dikenal sebagai orang laut. Pandangan ekologis masyarakat Bajo sangat dipengaruhi oleh kepercayaan asli mereka. Sebagai orang laut yang hidup di laut, mereka memiliki kesadaran bahwa diri mereka, masyarakat mereka, dan kehidupan mereka secara umum adalah bagian dari kehidupan laut itu sendiri.

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