Photo by Aditya Pradana Putra for Antara.
Researchers in Indonesia studying human society and its workings no longer operate under the strictures of the authoritarian era, when those working in the field of social science were expected to support the regime’s policies. But do contemporary Indonesian social scientists enjoy the freedom to conduct socially relevant research on any topic of their choosing? How is their research funded, and how does the government view their work? More broadly, how does the entanglement of universities with the Indonesian state shape the work of social science researchers?
In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae chats with Dr Inaya Rakhmani, the founding director of Universitas Indonesia’s Asia Research Centre, and the lead researcher of an 11-country study on mobilising social sciences in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh supported by the Global Development Network.
Today’s episode is the latest in the “Policy in Focus” series of Talking Indonesia episodes, supported by the Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI), a partnership between the Australian and Indonesian governments that aims to improve the use of evidence in development policymaking. This series will appear periodically in alternate weeks to the regular Talking Indonesia episodes. The views expressed in this podcast episode do not represent the views of the Australian or Indonesian governments.
In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Tito Ambyo from RMIT.
Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen via your favourite podcasting app.
