A strategic meeting between the Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and the Department of Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures (SEALC) of National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taiwan, took place on July 21, 2025, at  at the Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS), Universitas Gadjah Mada.

CESASS was represented by Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T. (Director), Drs. Muhadi Sugiono, M.A. (Head of Research, Education, and Cooperation Division), Dr. phil. Vissia Ita Yulianto (Head of Program and Publication Division), and Dr. Arif Akhyat, M.A. (Affiliated researcher with an expertise on history of Southeast Asian Studies). SEALC NCCU was represented by Prof. Dr. Chao Chin-Chi (Acting Dean of the College of Foreign Languages and Literature & Chair of SEALC), Prof. Dr. Jiang Cuifen (Director of the Chinese Language Teaching Centre), Dr. Silvia Rehulina Ginting (Assistant Professor and Head of the Indonesian Language and Cultures Study Program), and Mr. YuanTing Lim (Operations Manager of the Center for Southeast Asian Socio-Cultural Studies). read more

From left to right: Agustinus Aryo Lukisworo, S.Sos., M.A., Dr. Dhyah Ayu Retno W., S.Sos, M.Si., Dr. phil. Vissia Ita Yulianto, and Satria Adya Firhansyah, S.I.P.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for journal collaboration between the organizing committee of the Conference on Media, Communication, and Sociology (COMICOS) 2026, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University, and IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies took place on July 18, 2025, at the Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS), Universitas Gadjah Mada. read more

The Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) officially opened the 2025 Summer Course Program with the theme “Smart City, Digital Transformation and Society in Southeast Asia.” The opening ceremony was held on June 23, 2025, at 09:00 AM (WIB) in a hybrid format — online via Zoom and onsite at the Indonesia Room, 2nd Floor of the PSSAT Building, Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Inter-University Center (PAU) Building.

The program was officially opened by the Head of CESASS UGM and Program Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T., who also delivered an opening speech that included a report on the summer course activities. In her remarks, Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T. expressed her appreciation to all the summer course lecturers, who are colleagues from 12 countries: Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, China, Germany, Finland, Romania, Nigeria, the Netherlands, the United States, and Brazil. She also acknowledged the contributions of domestic partners from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), and Universitas Indonesia (UI). Appreciation was also extended to the UGM Directorate of Partnerships and Global Relations for providing a grant that supported the implementation of this summer course for the second time. Gratitude was likewise expressed to the Faculty of Geography UGM for its support and collaboration in organizing this event. The next speech was delivered by the Dean of the Faculty of Geography UGM, Prof. Muhammad Kamal, S.Si., M.GIS., Ph.D. Remarks were also given by the Director of Partnerships and Global Relations, Prof. Dr. Puji Astuti, S.Si., M.Sc. Several speakers of the program were also present and had the opportunity to share a few words with the participants. read more

In the framework of the Indonesian Collaborative Research (RKI) 2025 with lead researcher Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T. (UGM) and partner researchers from UI, ITB, BRIN, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and Sagaing University of Education Myanmar, the team carried out field work in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN). The research is titled “The Continuation of Nusantara Capital City Development: Strengthening and Limiting Aspects.” Activities included FGDs and surveys, visits to the Nusantara Technology House, ASN Flats, Garuda Palace, Plaza Bhineka (IKN Point 0), and OIKN Office. The team was also invited by the Head of the Nusantara Capital Authority, Dr. (H.C.) Ir. H. M. Basuki Hadimuljono, M.Sc., Ph.D. to meet at his office. read more

CESSAS Talk #5 hosted Dr. Tufan Kutay Boran from the University of Ankara, Turkey.

Dr Boran explores the role of Islamic political parties and Islamic organizations in the foreign policy-making process in Indonesia. He shared his investigation on when and under what conditions the Islamic political parties—established following Indonesia’s democratization—and Islamic organizations, which have gained greater access to political platforms, have become actively involved in foreign policy matters. For the purposes of this study, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah were selected as representative Islamic organizations, while PAN (National Mandate Party), PKB (National Awakening Party), and PKS (Prosperous Justice Party) were chosen as representative Islamic political parties. The findings indicate that the involvement of these actors in foreign policy, whether the issue is ideological or not, is closely linked to the dynamics of the pre- and post-democratization periods in Indonesia. read more

Yogyakarta, January 20, 2025 – The Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) hosted a delegation from the Asian School of Business (ASB)-MIT Sloan School of Management, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Melati Nungsari, Faculty Director of the ASEAN Research Center. Accompanying her were Ms. Shre Maha Manohar, Research & Communications Executive, and Ms. Fatimah Zahra Ros’azam, Research Associate. The visit marks a significant step in fostering academic exchange and exploring collaborative opportunities between the two institutions. read more

The Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) successfully held the 17th International Asian Urbanization Conference (IAUC) from January 14 to 16, 2025. The conference, themed “Rethinking Sustainable Urban Development and Urban Futures in the Digital Age,” took place at Prime Plaza Hotel Sanur, Bali. The IAUC was chaired by Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T., Director of CESASS UGM. The event was supported by the Asian Urban Research Association (AURA) and the Faculty of Geography UGM. It attracted significant international academic attention, with a total of 59 abstracts, 31 presenters, and 6 participants from 9 countries: Indonesia, the United States, Germany, Romania, France, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, and Taiwan. read more

Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T., Head of Centre for Southeast Asian Social Studies (PSSAT) UGM, became a speaker at the Global Immersion Guarantee (GIG) Program UGM, ACICIS, and Monash University, on 10 January 2025. He delivered the material “Urbanisation, Smart City, and Cases of Indonesia (IKN and Kali Code)”.

The event was attended by students and lecturers from Monash University.

Yogyakarta, 19 December 2024 – The Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) warmly welcomed Prof. James Robson, Director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute (HYI), and Dr. Ruohong Li, Associate Director of HYI. The visit marked a strategic step for HYI, which has primarily focused on East Asia, to expand its academic connections and initiatives to Southeast Asia. HYI is a prestigious institution supporting academic development in the Social Sciences and Humanities across Asia. It hosts Visiting Scholars and Fellows through its funded research programs at Harvard University. read more

The Seminar and Final Monitoring-Evaluation (Monev) of the Indonesian Collaborative Research (Riset Kolaborasi Indonesia, RKI) for 2024 took place successfully on 5-6 November 2024 at Hasanuddin University, Makassar. The event commenced with an opening speech from the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, followed by parallel monitoring and evaluation sessions.

Representing Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T., Head of the Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS), actively participated in the seminar and Monev sessions. Prof. Rini serves as the lead researcher for the RKI project, collaborating with partner researchers from Universitas Indonesia (UI), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Universiti Sains Malaysia, and the University of Yangon, Myanmar. read more