Challenges in Trans-disciplinary and Value Critical Research on Social Movements

ISS MA-student in Human Rights and Development Cyprianus Jehan Paju Dale (read profile here) is currently in Papua to conduct research on key actors of social movements in Papua. He explores the leading discourse of indigenous people of Papua on development and human rights. Cypri’s is grappling with the ‘western’ concept of ‘social movement’ in the Papuan context. How is it understood in Papua and by whome? And what about the ethics of research: how to analyze your research findings and cri...

A Matter of Religion? Really?

ISS-student Rima Irmayani is currently blogging from Indonesia about her fieldwork that she’s undertaking for her MA research on understanding community participation in post-conflict reconstruction programmes. (see profile here). As farming is one of the main livelihood strategies in Poso-Central Sulawesi local government and NGOs put considerable effort into helping farmers to rebuild their agricultural practices after the violence ended in 2001. By interviewing the farmers in Sintuwulemba...

Behind the Veil of Discourse

A few weeks into their field assignments, the ISS researchers have started to unpack their questions and issues, venturing into complexity beyond the veil of discourse.

Southern Perspectives on Civil Society Building

Civil Society Building continues to figure prominently in the development policy realm and so too does its northern bias, especially with regard to processes in Africa. Through the MA-research facility, the Hivos/ISS Civil Society Knowledge programme enables researchers and civil society organizations from the South to develop and share their views on key issues in the Civil Society Debate.

Indonesia: annul religious defamation law

Pluralism Knowledge Programma partner CRCS recommends the Indonesian Constitutional Court to abolish the 1965 law on defamation of religion. The law is still effectively used today to discriminate certain religious groups. Furthermore it is found to be in contradiction with the Constitution. However, most mainstream religious organisations defend the law. CRCS presents its arguments on exploring alternative instruments to deal with religious diversity and potential conflicts.

Yogyakarta Summer School is blogging

Sixteen students and civil society activists from Indonesia, India, Uganda and the Netherlands are studying pluralism, human rights and development at this years Kosmopolis Summer School in Yogyarta, Indonesia. The course is part of the Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme. Follow their track by reading this weblog and watching the video log on Holland Doc.

Members of the Indonesia Regional Team

The Regional Teams of the Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme are country-based groups of academics and practitioners defining the objectives and the content of the programme. The team is led by the regional coordinator and her/his institution as the core partner of Hivos and Kosmopolis. For Indonesia this is the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) at the Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.