30-10-2026

From 12 to 21 October, KITLV director Diana Suhardiman and research coordinator Ireen Hoogenboom travelled across Indonesia, visiting Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB),  Universitas Negeri Jember, Sudut Kalisat and Universitas Negeri Padang. This visit is part of KITLV’s commitment to strengthen research networks in Indonesia towards more equal partnership. 

Bandung

On 13 October Diana gave a public lecture about the politics of blame in forest governance and counter mapping as political agency as part of the seminar ‘The politics of knowing: To rethink the paradox of nature/culture’ at the Faculty of Arts and Design (FSRD-ITB) in Bandung.  This seminar was organised in collaboration with Dr. Kiki Rizky Soetisna Putri, lecturer and Co-founder Center for Indonesian Visual Art Studies (CIVAS), facilitated by Dr. Irma Damajanti, Head Aesthetic and Art Studies Research Group (FSRD ITB) and moderated by Christine Toelle, PhD candidate (FSRD ITB).

Alongside this, we had the opportunity to learn about grassroots initiatives in Bandung when we visited an independent media platform Bandung Bergerak, independent library and bookstore Perpustakaan Bunga di Tembok and the Agrarian Research Center (ARC)

Jember

On 16 October Diana participated in the seminar ‘Gumuk di Tengah gempuran perkembangan kota Jember 1900-2000’ (Gumuk Hills Amid the Pressures of Jember’s Urban Growth, 1900-2000) where she gave a public lecture on ‘Unraveling Tengger communities’ knowledge-scapes, cultural practices, and agency shaping’ held at Universitas Negeri Jember (UNEJ). This seminar was convened by Ryan Pratama (UNEJ) in collaboration with RZ Hakim (Sudut Kalisat) and Cinta Arum (student Law Faculty, UNEJ).

The seminar was connected to Saujana Gumok: Kalisat Tempo Dulu 11 exhibition, a three-day event organised by the cultural community organisation Sudut Kalisat through its Ruang Ingatan programme. The programme included various activities, among them an art exhibition by local artists and a Nyonteng Gumuk ceremony as a means to reconnect villagers and society at large to the Gumuk, held on 17 October in the village Sumberkalong. Watch the ceremony video below:

^{Nyonteng Gumuk ceremony led by budayawan (cultural bearer) Pak Abdul Rasyid. Source: Sudut Kalisat.}

Padang

On 19 October, Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) and KITLV signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreement was signed by UNP Rector Professor Krismadinata, and by Diana Suhardman on behalf of KITLV. Both institutions hope it will lead to future academic exchange and collaboration in history and social studies.

The MOU signing was accompanied by a public lecture ‘Multi-species Indicators and Landscape-based Climate Adaptation’ by Diana. Following the MOU signing was a group discussion with lecturers from the Faculty of Social Sciences to exchange research topics and ideas for future collaboration.