HUMANITIES IN INDONESIA FOR A GLOBAL AGE
Abstract: The 70th Anniversary provides an opportunity for
reflection on the development of the Humanities in Indonesia, the achievements
and the disappointments of a remarkable period. Indonesian Humanities scholars,
and specifically those at UGM, have much to be proud of. They have built
professional critical methods in a completely new language and context, without
losing the critical approach to evidence. There have however been some
disappointments and losses. Bahasa Indonesia’s gain has been many other
languages’ loss. There is a danger that Humanities, in Indonesia as everywhere,
may allow themselves to be restricted to a kind of heritage industry,
preserving and coding the culture of ‘us’, as opposed to the complex
interactions of the planet and beyond. The best way to counter the long-term
decline of Humanities in the university may be the opposite, to embrace
cultural diversity and interdependence.
Author: Anthony Reid
Journal Code: jpantropologigg160006
