Welcoming the 58th Anniversary, the Faculty of Humanities of Diponegoro University (FIB Undip) held an international conference entitled the International Conference on Culture and Sustainable Development (ICOCAS). The international conference activity was carried out hybrid at the Noormans Hotel Semarang, August 1-2, 2023.
The main resource person at the event, Prof. Vitor Teixeira, Ph.D. (Fernando Pessoa University, Portugal), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Roslan Rosnon (Universiti Putra Malaysia), Dr. Susan Gasson (James Cook University, Australia), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Surasak Khamkhong (Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand), Prof. Ivo Carneiro de Sousa (Macao Polytechnic University), and Prof. Dr. Mudjahirin Thohir, M.A. (Diponegoro University, Indonesia).
Deputy Dean for Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Alamsyah, M. Hum. conveyed in the report, apart from lecturers and students from FIB Undip, ICOCAS was also attended by participants from various countries such as Pakistan, India, Sudan, Tunisia, and Egypt via Zoom meetings. He hopes that ICOCAS will be able to produce research output.
The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities Undip, Dr. Nurhayati, M. Hum, opened the ICOCAS event. She said the 2023 ICOCAS was not the first international seminar the Faculty of Humanities Undip held. Previously, similar activities had been carried out but were stopped due to Covid-19. The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities Undip hopes ICOCAS can be held annually with innovation. ICOCAS is expected to be able to answer social problems. “Through this international seminar discussion, it is hoped that it will be able to answer social problems, differences, poverty, social resilience, gender equality, and other aspects related to sustainable development,” she said.
The activity continued with a plenary session by Keynote Speakers and moderated by Arido Laksono, M.Hum. Each resource person from various countries conveyed ideas according to their respective topics. Prof. Vitor Teixeira, Ph.D. highlighted cases of interculturality in Southeast Asia; Prof. Roslan discussed the cultural heritage of Indonesia-Malaysia, especially Javanese culture and Banjar culture; Dr. Susan Gasson Together with colleagues, Prof. Christine Bruce, explaining analytics for qualitative research; Prof. Surasak highlighted cultural capital management to promote the creative economy; Prof. Ivo discusses cultural diversity; and Prof. Mudjahirin highlights actual vs ideal culture in Javanese society.
The discussion continued with parallel sessions of 4 sessions and 4 rooms according to each topic. These discussion topics include cultural symbols and meaning, analysis of popular literature, technology and society, language, gender and culture, cultural tourism, and the creative economy.
Regarding the number of students actively involved in parallel sessions, Fajrul Falah, M.Hum. considers it essential to include students in the research and publication process. “The research process is long. We actively invite and involve students in collecting field data, discussions and presentations, and publishing articles,” explained the Head of the Research Development and Community Service Unit (UP3) of FIB Undip. The ICOCAS event was closed by Dr. Alamsyah, M. Hum, who thanked the participants and appreciated the 2023 ICOCAS committee. (Fajrul)
