The Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (PSSAT) will hold the MMAT 2021 Summer Course Program from 11 October to 10 November. Raising the theme “Re-constructing Southeast Asia”, this event is aimed at students, educators, researchers, and professionals.
“Southeast Asia’s development is extraordinary. This is a good opportunity to invite the young generation who are future academics to pay more attention to the development of Southeast Asia and see the dynamics and new role of this region in the modern world,” said Muhadi Sugiono on Monday (11/10).
The MMAT program was initiated in 2014 to respond to the problem of the lack of interest and studies conducted by academics related to Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia is currently not considered merely as a geographical area with a passive role globally, but an active agent involved in international political discourse. This includes political, economic, social, and cultural dynamics and security issues.
The image of Southeast Asia as an actor who can serve as an agent appears in the political decisions taken by leaders in Southeast Asian countries to define and present themselves as a community, namely the ASEAN Community.
The summer course activities, according to Muhadi, are not only aimed at providing knowledge about Southeast Asia but also to arouse participants’ interest in strategic issues around Southeast Asia.
“The measure of the success of this event is not the increase in knowledge, but whether there are questions that arise among the participants in their view of Southeast Asia,” he said.
This program presented several speakers, including Dr.Vissia Ita Yulianto from UGM PSSAT, Dr. Dicky Sofyan from UGM ICRS, Azhar Ibrahim Alwee from the National University of Singapore, Prof. Jian-Bang Deng from the University of Tamkang, and Dr. Ben Murtagh from SOAS University of London.
Muhadi said that the role of the speakers was not only to share knowledge or provide information but also to facilitate discussion among the participants.
Head of UGM International Affairs Office, I Made Andi Arsana, said that 2021 is especially important because Southeast Asia is considered to be the center of many important issues at the global level.
As the largest country in the region, Indonesia plays a key role in the development of Southeast Asian studies. Therefore, UGM is also a good place for students and academics from various countries to learn and discuss Southeast Asia.
“Learning about Southeast Asia in Indonesia is the right decision. Hopefully, through this program, every student can establish discussions and friendships beyond Southeast Asian issues,” he said.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/21792-ugm-selenggarakan-summer-course-mmat-2021
