Hardiyanti Hardiyanti

The practice of post-disaster memorialization in Indonesia constitutes a contentious practice in which narratives of loss, culpability, and resilience are actively negotiated. Through analysis of three sites; the state-sanctioned Aceh Tsunami Museum, the community-curated Sisa Hartaku, and the corporately contested Lapindo mudflow, this study demonstrates that memorials function as arenas of political contestation. Official monuments frequently aestheticize catastrophe to advance state-led narratives of national unity and resilience, often obscuring underlying vulnerabilities and issues of corporate accountability. In contrast, grassroots memorialization operates as a form of resistance. These informal sites, shaped by personal and communal loss, commodify trauma not solely for economic purposes but to sustain collective memory, demand justice, and contest enforced oblivion. Memorialization in Indonesia thus represents an ongoing negotiation between hegemonic state power and community agency, positioning the act of remembrance as a significant political instrument for marginalized groups.

The abundance of studies on local wisdom in Indonesia is evident from a Google Scholar search, which yields a wealth of resources. However, the concept of local wisdom and its distinction from related terms such as ‘local knowledge’ and ‘indigenous knowledge’ remains unclear. This article seeks to clarify the notion of ‘wisdom’ by: first, re-examining the definitions and debates surrounding local wisdom, local knowledge, and indigenous knowledge; second, tracing the models of indigenous research conducted in Indonesia; third, formulating a critical and philosophical approach to interpreting wisdom as conceptualised in Indonesian academic studies; and fourth, critically reflecting on the discourse of local knowledge, highlighting its role not only as a concept but also as a practical social movement that amplifies local voices.

This article explores the concept of empowerment within the informal sector, particularly as it relates to the development paradigm in Indonesia. Drawing on a range of ethical theories and critical thinkers, the discussion examines how development and empowerment function in parallel, each reflecting distinct yet intersecting moral orientations. While empowerment through informal labor is often framed as a counterpoint to mainstream developmentalism, it is not inherently free from ethical judgment or contradiction. The article begins with a brief overview of Indonesia’s developmentalist trajectory. It then argues that although empowerment, especially through the informal sector offers an antithetical vision to formal development narratives, it remains an ethically complex site and needs redress. Rather than a clear-cut alternative, such a form of empowerment emerges as a morally contested terrain, where survival, dignity, and agency are negotiated under persistent structural constraints.

This article aims to give a brief explanation in the importance of incorporating Pancasila in the education in Indonesia. Pancasila as the state ideology becomes the unifying force of inspiration for the nation, which in this case strictly means ethnic group that fundamentally has distinct cultural feature that can be traced to each other’s natural state. The philosophical reflection in this article provides contemplative outlook on what is an ideology and how it materializes into some form of productivity embedded in every life of individual in the state.

Unity has been touted as the cornerstone of Indonesian nationalism since its declaration in 1945. With the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Indonesian unity holds a sacred and absolute status. However, in reality, unity sometimes becomes a national problem. This article revisits Indonesian unity by shedding light on its darker aspects, namely heteronormativity, and introduces how Indonesian unity can be supported by a new ontological alternative: pluriverse. The study provides a brief historical overview of the New Order era and the family ideology that shaped an adherence to heteronormative norms, and followed by exploration of the pluriverse as an ethical ontological foundation that can deepen the struggle for unity.

Development is a consistent element in the implementation of Indonesian policies. However, it has become increasingly challenging, particularly following the decline of the New Order regime and Indonesia’s rejection of certain political practices associated with it. This paper aims to present a reflective analysis of the evolving nature of development, from its initiation under the New Order regime to the present post-Reformation era, and how nationalist development navigates the intricate cultural landscape in Indonesia as well as exploring the possibility of the idea of ecological modernization being an alternative to the obsolete New Order development model.