Yogyakarta. The Populi Center collaborated with the Koesnadi Harjasoemantri Cultural Center (PKKH) UGM in a discussion entitled "Towards the East: An Academic Challenge" which took place at PKKH UGM. This discussion is to dissect the book results from the Populi Center's research conducted in the Maluku region in 2018. This discussion was attended by Prof. Dr. PM Laksono (Professor of Anthropology UGM), Saleh Abdullah (Member of the INSIST Trustee), and Hikmat Budiman (Executive Director of the Populi Center).
The discussion was opened by Mada as the moderator who said that this discussion was held to elaborate on how we see Eastern Indonesia in terms of academic challenges, as well as to question the urgency of Maluku studies as a research area, and why is it necessary to develop this regional study?
On the first occasion, Hikmat Budiman said that the determination of Maluku as a research location had nothing to do with the pretension of whether Indonesia should be directed to the east in some aspects or not. This is based on that as academics, we need to look at other parts that we might indirectly leave behind because we look more at the western or Javanese context. On the other hand, Maluku has a very long historical value and has influence with the global world, both from an economic and political perspective.
On this occasion, PM Laksono responded to this book with several inputs, one of which is the need for us to explore the meaning of the book's title To the East Direction Towards. Whether the East is the direction of our academic attention or not, why should we go to the East and not elsewhere?
From this point of view, PM Laksono emphasized that in fact we don't need to direct all academic attention where to go, but all the problems are right in front of us, just like Maluku. Apart from that, PM Laksono added that when we talk about Maluku, we cannot let it go to the global context, and what is no less important is not to miss the need to pay attention to the compatibility of the visualization with the themes you want to raise.
Saleh Abdullah added, based on his experience in conducting research in Maluku, he saw that Maluku was a very different form from the characteristics in several other regions in Indonesia. In order to make Maluku like the center of world attention in the past, Saleh is of the opinion that it is necessary to strengthen the roles of traditional institutions. He is also doing this with activists by advocating and strengthening communities in coastal areas.
At the end of the discussion, Himat added that conceptually, Ke Timur Bowing Towards is a form of parody of large texts such as navigation at loca aromatum. This research also makes us see that infrastructure development and human development cannot be dichotomized.
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