Posted in: Talking Indonesia

Talking Indonesia: Papua, development and politics from below

In this week’s episode, Dr Jemma Purdey chats with Rassela Malinda, a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne who lived and worked with indigenous communities in Papua and whose research gives us rare insights into their struggles from below.

Talking Indonesia: gender transformation in rural Java

, ,
In this episode, recorded in the spirit of International Women's Day, Dr Clara Siagian chats with Dr Linda Susilowati about generational shifts in rural Javanese women's lives, the enduring weight of 'kodrat' (predetermined nature) and 'kewajiban' (obligation), and how Julia Suryakusuma's concept of State Ibuism appears in contemporary Indonesia.

Talking Indonesia: resilient patriarchies

,
Timor-Leste became independent from Indonesia in 2002, after 24 painful years of Indonesian occupation built on centuries of Portuguese colonisation. Both regimes were deeply violent and extractive and drew Timorese society into different forms of a valorised armed masculinity that would have repercussions well after Timor’s independence.

Talking Indonesia: the new Criminal Code

On 2 January 2026, Indonesia entered what officials are calling a 'new era' of criminal justice. The country implemented a new Criminal Code (Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana, KUHP) and a new Criminal Procedure Code (Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Acara Pidana, KUHAP), which changed what constitutes a crime and how crimes are identified, investigated, and punished.

Talking Indonesia: Indonesian ecological thinking

,
As Indonesia grapples with increasingly frequent climate disasters—from the devastating floods in Sumatra and Aceh to prolonged droughts that affect food security—a new book rejects the usual solutions.

Talking Indonesia: after the floods

, ,
In late November last year, heavy rainfall brought by Cyclone Senyar saw massive floods and landslides hit large parts of West and North Sumatra and Aceh Province. Over a month later, what is the situation in these affected areas? Just how huge is the scale of this disaster? And how are the people of Aceh coping with yet another massive natural disaster?

Talking Indonesia: Jakarta water crisis

,
Jakarta is said to be in a water crisis. This is a familiar claim that has been repeated for years as parts of the city sink, groundwater is over-extracted, and access to clean water remains uneven. Yet what, precisely, is the crisis that Jakarta is facing?

Talking Indonesia: Soeharto as national hero

In this week's episode, Dr Elisabeth Kramer is joined by historian Dr Ken Setiawan and Lailly Prihatiningtyas, a PhD student representing the Sydney-based group Aliansi Gusar, to explore what the designation of Soeharto as a national hero means for Indonesia's democracy, its memory politics, and its ongoing struggle with accountability for past atrocities.

Talking Indonesia: Dirty Vote II o3

, , ,
In this week's episode, Dr Jacqui Baker talks to 'Dirty Vote' presenter Dr Zainal Arifin Mochtar about the sequel of the 2024 documentary film that attracted more than 6 million viewers in the first two days of release.

Indonesia at Melbourne is supported by:

Melbourne Law School Asia Institute Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society Indonesia Forum Faculty of Arts Indonesia Democracy Hallmark Research Initiative

Indonesia at Melbourne

Room 726, Level 7, 185 Pelham St,
The University of Melbourne
Parkville 3010 VIC Australia

Phone: +61 3 83448581

Email:  indo-at-melb@unimelb.edu.au

Date created: 1 July 2015

Editor: Ary Hermawan

Editorial board: 
Professor Tim Lindsey
Dr Tim Mann
Aron Corbett

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campuses are situated.

Phone:13 MELB (13 6352) | International: +(61 3) 9035 5511
The University of Melbourne ABN:84 002 705 224
CRICOS Provider Code:00116K (visa information)

Disclaimer & copyright
Accessibility
Privacy