On September 15, 2022, the Social Anthropology Study Program, Faculty of Humanities Undip held a Studium Generale event entitled “Applying Ethnographic Methods in Anthropological Studies”. This event also collaborated with several lecturers of Anthropology study programs from both national and international universities who acted as main resource persons, including M. Zamzam F., S.Ant., M.A. (Can. Ph.D) from Gadjah Mada University, Hatib Abdul Kadir, M.A. Ph.D from Brawijaya University, and Dr. Laurens Bakker of the University of Amsterdam. The target of the Studium Generale event is all undergraduate students of the Undip Anthropology study program and specifically for early semester students because the foundation for applying the ethnographic method is essential as the main provision before students can conduct field research and determine the form of data presentation that will be used.
The event was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Dr. Nurhayati, M. Hum. and then followed by remarks from Dr. Suyanto, M.Si. as Head of the Social Anthropology Study Program. The first speaker, M. Zamzam F., S.Ant., M.A. (Can. Ph.D), described the use of visual ethnography as an alternative that can be used in presenting field data. The visual power is in fact not inferior to the narrative that is more commonly found as the output of a qualitative research. In addition to photos, visual data can also be in the form of videos and even images, which allows field data to speak more and also describes the full involvement of researchers through photos or videos which is the basis for extracting in-depth data in anthropological field studies.
In the next session, Hatib Abdul Kadir, M.A. Ph.D as the second resource person discussed the application of ethnographic research as well as some practical suggestions that must be done while in the field. The enthusiasm of students who took part in the event was very good, some students asked questions according to their research experience and the problems found, such as research ethics issues and data bias. In the last session, a resource person from the University of Amsterdam, Dr. Laurens Bakker, provided a different perspective as a researcher from abroad who often conducts research in Indonesia using ethnographic methods. He stated that considering the security aspect in conducting research is also important, especially when examining sensitive issues such as conflict, violence, and security issues as well as community organizations/militia.
By presenting speakers from abroad at the Studium Generale this time, the Social Anthropology study program also supports Undip’s mission as a World Class University (WCU). This event also aims to improve the quality and quantity in various academic fields, especially in the fields of education, research and innovation for both teachers and students. The wealth of insights and perspectives presented by all resource persons at the Studium Generale “Applying Ethnographic Methods in Anthropological Studies” becomes a valuable experience and is expected to encourage students to be able to conduct ethnographic field studies better and follow the rules of ethnographic research as stated by the resource persons.
