Network Southeast Asia 10.14764/10.ASEAS-0128 Advances in Southeast Asian Studies 18(2) | C1 Bridging Currents: Emerging Trends in Indonesian Anthro- pology Daniela Paredes Grijalva a* , Sita Hidayahb , & Gabriele Weicharta aUniversity of Vienna, Austria bUniversitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia *corresponding author: daniela.paredes.grijalva@univie.ac.at Received: 26 August 2025 / Accepted: 12 September 2025 / Published: 27 October 2025 Paredes Grijalva, D., Hidayah, S., & Weichart, G. (2025). Bridging currents: Emerging trends in Indonesian anthropology. Advances in Southeast Asian Studies, 18(2), C1-C4. ______________________________________________________________________ The international seminar and workshop “Current Trends in Indonesian Anthropology”, held on 12 September 2024 at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), brought together researchers, stu- dents, and institutional partners from Indonesia and Austria. Organized as part of the 60th an- niversary celebrations of UGM’s Department of Anthropology, this event served not only as a venue for academic exchange and collaboration but also as a platform for reimagining how an- thropology is practiced, taught, and publicly engaged. Co-organized by Sita Hidayah (Department of Anthropology, UGM), Gabriele Weichart (In- stitute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna) and Daniela Paredes Grijalva (Institute for Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna), the workshop high- lighted both long-standing ties and emerging collaborative frameworks between the two insti- tutions. Opening lectures addressed the participatory digital ethnography learning system and reflected on collaborative fieldwork and dissemination strategies across the Austria–Indonesia academic corridor. A major difference that stood out between the Indonesian and Austrian academic con- texts is, quite evidently, scale. Indonesia’s anthropological landscape encompasses a vast and diverse array of methodologies, departments, field sites, and communities. The size and demo- graphic complexity of the country provide Indonesian anthropologists with a multitude of op- portunities for engagement, application, and collaboration. Another important distinction lies in the more fluid exchange between so-called theory and practice. The boundaries between ac- ademic research and applied work are often porous – anthropologists, for instance, document human rights violations related to land grabs, support community struggles, or consult for cul- tural heritage companies ensuring cultural sensitivity and local benefit in tourism-based devel- opment. The Department of Anthropology at UGM and the University of Vienna have enjoyed a fruitful partnership for over a decade, fostering joint research, student mobility, and collabo- rative teaching. Although this workshop marked the formal conclusion of Gabriele Weichart’s employment at the University of Vienna, the tone was not of farewell but of continuation. Her academic drive and deep institutional ties are sure to nourish future collaborations. Rather than listing all participants individually, we highlight five themes that stood out for their originality, relevance, and resonance with current anthropological debates. mailto:daniela.paredes.grijalva@univie.ac.at https://antropologi.fib.ugm.ac.id/en/academics/international-workshop-current-trends-in-indonesian-anthropology/ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8217-9803 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6451-1809 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1874-3673 Bridging Currents ASEAS 18(2) | C2 1. Artificial Intelligence and Youth Digital Labor Pradipa Rasidi (EngageMedia) presented an ethnographic study on AI imaginaries among working-class youth employed as political buzzers in Indonesia. Rather than seeing AI as disruptive, these youth treat it as a “bot companion”, drawing from warnet (internet cafe) gaming culture to gamify precarious labor and mimic middle-class tech- sector roles. This bottom-up view of AI as part of youth aspiration challenges prevailing Eurocentric concerns around automation and labor displacement. 2. Exhibition as Multimodal Ethnography Rugun Sirait (Center for Anthropology Studies, University of Indonesia) discussed two recent experiments in translating ethnographic research into public exhibitions. One focused on forest fire governance in Central Kalimantan as part of the project Fire Play; another transformed TikTok sound trends into an art installation. These scalable and multimodal strategies not only engage new audiences but also point toward a public- facing anthropology that resonates with recent turns to visual and participatory meth- ods. 3. Ghosts, Religion, and Mangrove Ecologies Ode Zulkarnain (State Islamic Institute of Ambon) shared work on how mangrove con- servation in eastern Indonesia is shaped by everyday encounters with spirits and reli- gious beliefs. Using concepts such as hauntology and entanglement, his research illus- trated how ecological stability emerges not only from policy but from cosmological relations. This perspective adds to global discussions on more-than-human anthropol- ogy – a field also gaining traction in global debates. 4. Applied Anthropology for design and local livelihoods Endang Purwasari (Institut Seni Indonesia, Surakarta) highlighted how anthropology, often seen as distant from design, can in fact become a close partner in creating inno- vation. Through a collaborative project with product, fashion, and interior designers in Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands, ethnographic research and community engagement pro- vided the empirical foundation for developing culturally situated interventions in the creative economy. Within a human-centered design framework, field data were trans- lated into design concepts through iterative brainstorming sessions and then devel- oped into prototypes. The project shows how anthropological knowledge can extend beyond theoretical discourse to generate applied contributions to local livelihoods and income-generating activities. 5. TITEN and data sovereignty “Participatory Digital Learning System” Sita Hidayah, Elan Ardri Lazuardi, and M. Zamzam Fauzanafi (Department of Anthro- pology, UGM) presented the TITEN application, developed in response to the necessity to re-evaluate technological infrastructure underpinning anthropological knowledge production. The colonial legacy influences how anthropological knowledge is prac- ticed, taught, and distributed, but is also embedded in instruments and systems used to collect, manage, store, analyze, and disseminate anthropological knowledge. They Daniela Parades Grijalva, Sita Hidayah, & Gabriele Weichart ASEAS 18(2) | C3 highlighted the concentration of power of tech companies over data, infrastructure, and knowledge. The extractive and surveillance nature of many research tools has con- tinuously perpetuated existing power imbalances. At the heart of this, TITEN covers processes from fieldwork to the public. It goes beyond documenting, storing, and using data and information, into shifting dynamics of communities as “objects of research” to “co-creators of knowledge”. The workshop was a space to showcase efforts that bridge the gap between the North and South. The exchange programs between the University of Vienna and UGM have enabled mean- ingful fieldwork collaboration for instance among anthropology students from both institutions in Indonesia, research stays in Austria for researchers from UGM, and seminars incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences, furthering decolonizing and decentering standpoints, en- suring the spirit of mutual learning and shared authorships between Indonesian and Austrian- based scholars and students. There is a strong wish for continuity, with hopes that such gener- ative approaches will sustain and further strengthen Austrian–Indonesian relations in anthro- pology for years to come. In addition to the thematic richness, the seminar successfully laid the groundwork for on- going collaborative networks. The inception of partnerships among Indonesian researchers and institutions was a significant outcome, with several initiatives for joint projects and ex- changes discussed during the seminar. Overall, the seminar was highly effective in both stimu- lating intellectual engagement and fostering cross-cultural academic networks. The event high- lighted not only the academic rigor of the participants but also their commitment to supporting one another’s well-being and advancing international scholarly collaboration. Figure 1. Participants of the Current Trends in Anthropology Workshop. (photo by Puspita Nindya Sari) https://www.instagram.com/p/C-7cWXlSLtZ/ Bridging Currents ASEAS 18(2) | C4 Together, these examples demonstrate how Indonesian anthropologists are engaging with local urgencies while dialoguing with global theory. Many of the workshop’s presenters collaborated across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, reflecting a shared commitment to socially embedded and methodologically innovative research. As Austrian anthropology in- creasingly seeks to diversify its theoretical canons and methodological toolkits, workshops like this one underscore the mutual benefit of collaboration across currents, geographies, and aca- demic cultures. From ethnographic exhibitions to digital activism, Indonesian anthropology of- fers fresh pathways for engaged scholarship that traverses North–South, East–West divides.  ABOUT THE AUTHORS Daniela Paredes Grijalva is a doctoral researcher at the Institute for Geography and Regional Research and the Department for Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Vienna, and part of the Global DeCentre. Her work focuses on environmental mobilities, decolonial methodologies, and knowledge pluralism. Contact: daniela.paredes.grijalva@univie.ac.at Dr. Sita Hidayah is a lecturer at the Department of Anthropology, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Her research interests include participatory methods, anthropology of religion, adat law, and citizenship in Indonesia. Contact: sita.fib@ugm.ac.id Dr. Gabriele Weichart is a senior researcher and lecturer at the Department of Social and Cultural An- thropology, University of Vienna. Her work focuses on material culture, culture heritage and consump- tion, with a long-standing engagement in Indonesian–Austrian academic exchange. Contact: gabriele.weichart@univie.ac.at ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank ASEA-UNINET and the Department of Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada for their gen- erous funding support, and we are deeply grateful to all participants for their dedicated work and open sharing throughout the workshop. DISCLOSURE The authors declare no conflict of interest. mailto:daniela.paredes.grijalva@univie.ac.at mailto:sita.fib@ugm.ac.id mailto:gabriele.weichart@univie.ac.at