Culture and Environment in Indonesia

This course introduces students to contemporary Indonesia, a fascinating country of over 275 million people just north of Australia. The unifying focus of the course is enabling students to see solutions to contemporary global problems through the lens of Indonesians and 'Indonesian studies' - a body of research with a long and illustrious history at the Australian National University. The course will analyse and critically assess Indonesia’s responses to pressing global issues, including climate change, gender equality, digital technologies, migration, and new social movements. Students will explore the dynamics of social relations of Indonesia within its ‘Island Southeast Asia’ region allowing for some comparative analysis. Students will develop skills essential for careers in policy analysis, government, education, the development sector, cultural institutions, media, and technology. The course also advocates for knowing Indonesia not only because it is the largest Muslim majority country and 'strategically important', but because it will open doors to a more resilient, invigorating and intellectually stimulating world. Many of our graduates testify that these qualities of Indonesia are crucial for their ongoing engagement with the country beyond university study. Because of this, we utilize case studies of Indonesian anthropology, literature, social media creatives, Islamic ‘industries’, indigenous philosophies, art, music and performance.