East Kalimantan, Febuary 8–14, 2026 — Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada (CESASS UGM) continues to be committed to fostering student involvement in research as part of its mission to promote academic excellence and evidence-based policy development. Through its various research initiatives, the center provides students with opportunities to participate directly in fieldwork, data collection, analysis, and research dissemination.

By engaging students in ongoing projects, CESASS seeks to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world research experience. This approach not only enhances students’ research competencies but also equips them with practical skills that are essential for their future academic and professional careers. read more

East Kalimantan, Febuary 8–14, 2026 — Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada (CESASS UGM) research team conducted fieldwork in East Kalimantan to examine socio-cultural transformation and environmental justice in the context of Indonesia’s capital relocation project, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).

Recognizing that the implications of the new capital extend beyond its administrative boundaries, the team has expanded the locus of research to encompass East Kalimantan more broadly. This approach enables a deeper understanding of interconnected processes affecting communities, ecosystems, and governance structures across the province. read more

Yogyakarta, Jakarta, 2025 — An ongoing research titled Bridging Ambitions and Realities: Indonesia’s Pacific Elevation, Ocean-Based Climate Diplomacy, and Regional Leadership reports significant progress. Supported by the FISIPOL (Faculty of Social and Political Sciences) UGM Research Grant 2025, the research is led by Drs. Muhadi Sugiono, M.A., Head of the Research, Education, and Cooperation Division at CESASS UGM, with Nurina Aulia Haris, M.A., Research Manager at CESASS UGM, serving as a member of the research team. read more

Nusantara, August 11–16, 2025 — A field survey was conducted in IKN (Nusantara Capital City) for the 2025 Fundamental Research scheme under the topic: “Smart Innovation and Waste Management Systems to Support the Implementation of a Smart City in Indonesia’s New Capital.”

The 2025 Fundamental Research Team is led by Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si., M.T. (Head of the Regional Development Program, Master of Geography UGM, and Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies UGM), with research members Prof. Dr. Eko Haryono, M.Si. (Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Geography and Head of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Science) and Ir. Agus Prasetya, M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D. (Lecturer at the Department of Chemical Engineering). read more

Makassar, November 5–6, 2024 — The Seminar and Final Monitoring-Evaluation (Monev) of the Indonesian Collaborative Research (Riset Kolaborasi Indonesia, RKI) for 2024 took place successfully 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

Nusantara, October 24–28, 2024 — We are pleased to provide an update on the CESASS UGM Flagship research project, titled “Sociocultural Resilience of Society: Is It Social Polarization or Social Cohesion in the Nusantara New Capital City of Indonesia?”, lead by Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati, S.Si, M.T., held in East Kalimantan.

The research activities included observations, structured interviews with community members, in-depth interviews with representatives from the Social Service and the OIKN, as well as discussions with village and sub-district officials. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were held with village heads and traditional leaders. The research locations encompassed the Central Government Core Area (KIPP), the IKN Area (KIKN), and the IKN Development Area (KPIKN). read more

We are pleased to provide an update on the fundamental research project titled “Carbon Capture and Storage Strategy: Opportunities and Prospects in the Nusantara Capital City for Achieving Smart City,” led by Prof. Dr. Rini Rachmawati. The research activities were conducted from October 1 to 6, 2024, in East Kalimantan.

The project followed several crucial steps. First, in-depth interviews were carried out both online and on-site with key representatives from the Authority of the New Capital (OIKN) in Balikpapan. These included discussions with the Deputy for Planning and Land Affairs, the Deputy for Social, Cultural, and Community Empowerment, as well as the Director of Forest Area and Water Resources Development. read more

Internationalization of Higher Educations (HEs) is still mainly seen as a westernized, largely Anglo-Saxon, and predominantly English-speaking paradigm. Following Hans de Wit’s theory on comprehensive and inclusive approach of internationalization (2019) and using the rationales of Jane Knight in critically seeing the aspect of internationalization and the competitive agenda of HEs (2010), a joint research by Dr. Falikul Isbah (Universitas Gadjah Mada), Dr. phil. Vissia Ita Yulianto (Universitas Gadjah Mada & National Chengchi University), Dr. Le Thi-Nham (National Chengchi University) and Dr. Muhammad Rum (Universitas Gadjah Mada) investigates how the components of today’s neoliberal approach of HEs are at the cost of the issue of inclusion in Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam. The group is photographed with Prof. Ching-Ping Tang, vice president of International Affairs, National Chengchi University. They also had conducted interviews with university administrators, scholars and students in National University of Science and Technology (NTUST) and Tamkang University (TKU), Taiwan (ROC). read more

An Op-Ed for Media Indonesia in Inspirasi Bulaksumur rubric just published last week (2021/07/29) written by Drs Muhadi Sugiono, MA (Department of International Relation UGM Lecturer, Institute of International Studies UGM and Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies UGM researcher). This Op-Ed calls attention to the role of Higher Education to contribute to the issue of global nuclear disarmament. Through the Institute of International Studies (IIS) research institute, UGM is actively campaigning and advocating for nuclear disarmament on the national and international levels. read more

For those who want to learn more about our neighbouring country Vietnam. See more here on its ideology by a Vietnamese scholar Tran Ti Dieu here in IKAT current issue: https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/ikat/article/view/56279