Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Comment Sections As Counterpublics; Negotiating Public Discourse In Indonesia’S Digital Media Sphere, Leon Woltermann

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article examines the potential of YouTube comment sections as spaces of commoning in Indonesia’s digital media sphere. Drawing on the concept of counterpublics – that is, parallel discursive arenas where marginalized groups circulate counter discourses and voice their interests – it explores how users negotiate access to the digital public sphere and oppose dominant narratives. The article employs a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods into the analysis of the data, to investigate both the structural features (based on comment metadata) and the discursive content of comments. I argue that the comment sections’ dynamic, non-binding structure facilitates open …

The “Commoning“ Of Critical Labour Knowledge In Indonesia; Digital Mediation And Its Contradictions, Diatyka Widya Permata Yasih, Inaya Rakhmani

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article explores “the commoning of critical labour knowledge“ – the co-sharing of resources to produce, circulate, and practice forms of knowledge generated with, by, and for workers, in opposition to dominant managerial and/or state technocratic frameworks – including through the use of digital media. Drawing on an auto-ethnographic reflection of a collaborative praxis between a university-based research centre and a labour knowledge hub, both based in Indonesia, we argue that this practice is imbued with internal contradictions. The praxis does open possibilities for solidarity, redistribution, and collective critical knowledge-making. However, it is constrained by capitalist logics of algorithmic surveillance, …

Making Sense Of Cultural Commoning In The Streets; Popular Trust Within The Info Cegatan Jogja (Icj) Community, Antonius Galih Prasetyo, Wasisto Raharjo Jati

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

The need for inclusive shared spaces that offer tangible solutions rather than just information has become increasingly urgent, given the limits of state resources. Facebook-based Info Cegatan Jogja (ICJ), with over a million members, uniquely showcases civil society’s productive use of social media. The ICJ project began by documenting police checkpoints (cegatan) and bureaucratic hurdles in Yogyakarta. It has since evolved into a combined online and offline community that regularly reports accidents, thefts, lost items, and other public concerns, effectively functioning as a public awareness, complaint, and information-sharing platform for the entire Yogyakarta Special Region Province. Given the …

"Ta’Aruf", Pious Asceticism, And Shared Meaning-Making In Islamic Youtube Web Series, Andina Dwifatma

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

Islamic web series have recently become a notable cultural phenomenon in Indonesia. Unlike mainstream Islamic films, most Islamic web series are created by Muslim youth communities and distributed freely on social media platforms such as YouTube, reflecting a more innovative, grassroots approach to exploring identity. The creators of Islamic web series have greater flexibility in crafting narratives that reflect the experiences of young urban Muslims. Their interactive engagement with audiences, both online and offline, facilitates the collective negotiation and preservation of religious values through digital media. One of the recurring themes in these series is ta’aruf, the Islamic practice …

Interconnectedness And Solidarity Networking; A Case Of New Media Commoning In Indonesian Regional Youtube Series, Ratna Erika M. Suwarno

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

The 2010s saw a surge in the number of Indonesian regional filmmakers using YouTube to showcase their creative practices and engage in cultural and media commoning activities. This article explores the production practices and community networking of Hajar Pamuji and his eponymous YouTube channel (HP channel). In exploring their media commoning practices, I examine the HP channel’s YouTube series Film Pendek Hajar Pamuji (FPHP), particularly its production strategies as creative negotiations and engagement schemes. Tracing the connections and networking of their YouTube channel, I further examine HP’s positioning within its solidarity networks, alongside its viewership, local collaborators and …

David Van Reybrouck (2025), "Revolusi; Indonesia Dan Lahirnya Dunia Modern", Abd Rahman Hamid

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

Mirjam Shatanawi (2024), "Legacies Of Colonialism In Museum Collection; The (Un)Making Of Indonesian Islam In The Netherlands", Muhamad Pelengkahu

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

Ronit Ricci (Ed.) (2023), "Storied Island; New Explorations In Javanese Literature", Zakariya Pamuji Aminullah

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

The Commons Before “The Commons”; Decolonial Perspectives On Journalism Through "Soenting Melajoe" (1912-1921), Tito Ambyo, Bronwyn Anne Beech Jones

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

Through an exploration of the Malay-language women’s weekly Soenting Melajoe (1912-1921), this article proposes “taman” (garden) as an alternative model of journalistic practice and community formation in colonial Indonesia. Countering historiographies that position professional journalism as the telos for media development in the modern world, we argue that Soenting Melajoe draws attention to a form of commoning that preceded and resisted colonial enclosure and Western journalistic frameworks. Through analysing reader contributions and editorial practices, we show how the publication’s writers conceptualized their work as cultivating a taman – a space open to collective participation yet bounded by shared values, …

"Commoning" The Artist-Led Archive; Sharing Heri Dono’S Private Archive With A Public Audience, Eliza O’Donnell, Agni Saraswati

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

Built from the ground-up and with no formal government support, artist-led archives in Indonesia engage in commoning practices by creating community-centred platforms for knowledge sharing, in both physical and digital spaces. This article examines “acts of commoning” through the lens of artist Heri Dono at Studio Kalahan in Yogyakarta, an artist-led archive that challenges institutional approaches by treating Dono’s practice-based knowledge as shared creative resources, rather than private intellectual property. Three “acts of commoning” are explored through an iterative process of 1) building, 2) reproduction and digitization, and 3) sharing through exhibition and Instagram. It is argued that commoning of …

Beyond Creative Tourism Cities; Youth Media Commoning In Urban Indonesia, Amalia N. Andini, Mely Noviryani, Andhika Krisnaloka, Anton Novenanto

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

How do young people make sense of themselves through the stories they tell about their lives in cities? In this article, we examine youth media-making in Malang and Batu, Indonesia, as a meaningful practice of commoning that engages with the construction of youth and the city under the neoliberal logic of urban development in Southeast Asia. Our Participatory Action Research (PAR) with young people in local neighbourhoods has produced a series of documentary films and an anthology, co-authored to narrate their lived urban experiences and interactions with tourism. By telling their own stories from kampung wisata (tourism neighbourhoods), they …

Developing “Subversive Commons” Through Boycott And Buycott; K-Pop Fan Activism Of Producing And Consuming Unofficial Merchandise, Nurul Laili Nadhifah, Manneke Budiman

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

K-pop fans are widely recognized for their active engagement in fan activism, as exemplified by Indonesian K-pop fans’ practice of political consumerism to challenge problematic power structures without severing their connection to their idols. Employing digital and field ethnography, this article explores how Indonesian K-pop fans use virtual media spaces for humanitarian activism, navigate ideological tensions with their idols, and engage in boycott and buycott practices toward merchandise as expressions of political consumerism. Here, fans can be categorized into three groups: those who believe in separating activism issues from fandom activities; those who only support acceptable idol activities; and those …

Preface Vol. 27 No. 1, The Editors Wacana

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

Staging The Commons Through The “Padha Nonton” Song; Youtube, Community Engagement, And Gandrung Cultural Practice, Intan Mustika Sari

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This study examines how the Gandrung accompaniment song “Padha nonton” participates in processes of digital cultural sharing when circulated on YouTube. It employs a qualitative interpretive method within a netno‑pragmatic framework to analyse audience engagement as a culturally informed social practice. The findings show that the song’s linguistic features convey cultural scripts of invitation, togetherness, and communal spectatorship, reflecting the role of the Gandrung tradition in shaping shared social relationships and cultural values. Furthermore, the study identifies three interrelated processes: re-medialization, re-experiencing, and re-conception through which the performance extends beyond its original ritual context and becomes a shared …

Reimaging Wayang In The Digital Age; "The Sintren" Project And Cultural Commoning, Maya Purnama Sari, Nuning Yanti Damayanti, Irfansyah Irfansyah, Hafiz Aziz Ahmad

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

Wayang, as a traditional performing art in Indonesia, continues to develop through various forms of experimentation. One example is the Wayang Lostang YouTube channel, developed by Samuel Indratma through the animation project Sintren, save the planet in collaboration with students from SMK Komputama Majenang. Distribution through YouTube indicates that the transformation of wayang is not merely visual but is also a collective cultural practice grounded in social relations, reflecting cultural commoning in the Indonesian context. This study aims to understand how these practices operate through production, social relations, and the formation of cultural meaning in digital circulation. The research employs …

Sacred Commoning In Indonesia; Faith, Media, And Affective Praxis For Environmental Justice, Najwa A. Nadia

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This article analyses how commoning practices are mobilized to address ecological problems in Indonesia and highlights the contributions of youth and faith-based initiatives in the process, focusing on their inventive use of media, cultural, and religious forms. Based on two case studies of a community-run festival in Yogyakarta and a waqf forest project in Bogor, it traces how environmental activism becomes a vigorous arena for intersectoral collaboration, new communal imaginaries, and affective and spiritual reorientations. Situating them in the broader literatures on commoning, affect, media, and religion, the article proposes the idea of sacred commoning to describe the affective processes …

Michael Dove (2024), "Hearsay Is Not Excluded; A History Of Natural History", Gilang Mahadika

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

No abstract provided.

Rex Gothorum, Patres Conscripti, Et Senes Barbarorum: Balancing Monarchical And Aristocratic Power In The Ostrogothic Kingdom, Max Deloach

Honors Theses

The fourth and fifth-century migrations of “barbarian” peoples from beyond the Roman frontier to the heart of the Empire exacerbated an already unparalleled crisis of self in Roman society. With the settlement of these “barbarians” in the West, the facade of Roman dominion over its own territory and institutions had crumbled. In Italy, the Roman Senate, along with the Catholic Church and the Eastern Roman Emperor, became essential to the peninsula’s “barbarian” kings. At the same time, post-Roman monarchs were obliged to patronize their own nobility—the elite military class. This work evaluates the trilateral negotiation of power between post-Roman monarchs, …

Human Dignity In The Foundational Political Documents Of The United States, Kalista Roades

Honors Theses

Human dignity is integral to modern discussions of human rights and liberties, but this connection can be found stretching back through history to the early developments of human rights. This paper begins with modern philosophical definitions of human dignity, especially from Rosen and Kateb. Rosen discusses four “strands” of dignity- Intrinsic Dignity, Status Dignity, Manner Dignity, and Respect Dignity. This paper then uses that framework to find human dignity implicit within the founding documents of the United States including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, as well as “Common Sense” and the Magna Carta to …

“Under The Fig-Tree”: Post-Revolutionary Literature Influences American Government, Clara Kernodle

Honors Theses

The literary context of post-Revolutionary America developed a broad sense of the American character as virtuous, hardworking, and responsible. In the 1780s, three American writers, representing these three categories of literature, penned their perspectives on human character and society, to much commercial success. J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, Royall Tyler, and Philip Freneau described their situations and opinions with candor and wit, helped spark a broad sense of the American character, and influenced the authors of the nation’s founding documents. At the end of that same decade, Anti-Federalist political philosophy drew from an established literary conception of the American …

Platforms Of Exemption (For New Relations) Within Suburbia And Other Consolidating Hegemonies, Ayden Pritchard

Honors Theses

Theory is a mode of action that opens up revisionary spaces in the world. By voicing complexity and ambivalence in a situation, disembodied patterns are put in contact with compliant, unclaimed material, and they gain a foothold within the established structures of the present. This paper seeks to sketch the lines of influence that govern association and perception in suburbia, and to speculate the kinds of spaces where new relations between people who are normally segregated can occur. The information presented here hopes to join the reservoir of patterns that structure your everyday theoretical (revisionary) activity, to make changes possible …

Facsimiles, Russell Soh

Student Theses

An excerpt:

Hi Everyone, I’m currently in the process of organizing and sketching out a series of prose proems based on a small multitude of notes I’ve accrued over the last six months. These notes are essentially notes towards the writing of various poems (around 8). The idea is basically to turn these notes, or these would-be poems, into a series of abstracted ‘facsimiles’, like tangible ghosts trapped in a simulacrum of the poem. I need to be reacquainted with the prose poem, or at least my idea of it.

Poppy's Eye, Clementine Morse

Student Theses

A collection of poetry.

Wellness By Design: Leadership And Learning Practices For Well-Being In Arts Management, Ashleigh Olander

Student Theses

Leading with a culture of care is the art of wellness-based design. The arts are often seen as places for healing and community connection; however, arts institutions themselves frequently function in ways that undermine well-being. The systems in place do not promote wellness, nor do they dedicate resources to maintaining the vitality of staff. Wellness initiatives in the arts are ordinarily based on programming, rather than embedded into the foundation of the organization. Although engaging with the arts as a whole elevates wellness, it is challenging to find an arts institution designed with wellness practices in mind. There is a …

Batik Depok Sebagai Invented Tradition: Konstruksi Warisan Budaya Di Kota Urban, Ade Solihat, Wiwin Triwinarti, Leila Mona Ganiem

Multikultura

Depok sebagai kota urban, sering menghadapi kesulitan dalam menampilkan identitas budaya yang khas dan mudah dikenali. Dalam konteks tersebut, Batik Depok hadir sebagai simbol budaya urban. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis Batik Depok sebagai praktik budaya kontemporer kota urban dengan menggunakan konsep invented tradition. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan studi kasus. Data diperoleh melalui observasi lapangan, wawancara dengan pelaku budaya, pemerintah daerah setempat, dan warga Depok, serta studi media. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan,  dalam kerangka invented tradition, Batik Depok bukanlah tradisi yang diwariskan secara historis, tetapi suatu aktivitas kebudayaan yang dibentuk secara sadar dalam konteks perkotaan untuk merepresentasikan identitas bersama. …

Rekontekstualisasi Syair Demonstran Sudan Di Media Sosial: Analisis Wacana Kritis Terhadap Representasi Kritis Kemanusiaan Dan Resistensi, Muhamad Fatih Fauzan

Multikultura

This study examines the representation of the humanitarian crisis and popular resistance in the poetry of Sudanese demonstrators, drawing on the documentary film Sudan, Remember Us (2024) by Hind Meddeb. Using Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study analyzes data that have been recontextualized through social media. The results show the use of dehumanizing lexicon (lāji'an, mumazzaqan) and hyperbolic metaphors to depict the suffering of the Sudanese people. The poetry employs intertextuality with the story of the Prophet Job to morally legitimize the victims, and is distributed through social media platforms. At the macro level, this poetry functions as …

Representasi Kesetaraan Peran Suami Dan Istri Dalam Film Chelovek Kotoriy Udivil Veskh/ Pria Yang Mengejutkan Semua Orang, Amanda Herawaty Sekara, Thera Widyastuti

Multikultura

As one of the most popular forms of cultural production, film does not merely function as entertainment for society but also serves as a medium for highlighting social issues that have occurred or are currently unfolding within it. One Russian film that raises such social issues is Chelovek, kotoryj Udivil Vsekh (The Man Who Surprised Everyone), which implicitly addresses gender equality in modern Russian society. This study examines the representation of equality between women and men within the domestic sphere and how it relates to social realities in contemporary Russia. The theories of gender equilibrium and feminism, along …

Negosiasi Diplomasi Budaya K-Pop Di Indonesia: Studi Kasus Boikot Penggemar Ateez, Dhannya Febryana

Multikultura

This study examines the boycott by Indonesian fans against the K-pop group ATEEZ as part of the dynamics of South Korea’s cultural diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Building on the understanding of K-pop as an important instrument of soft power in South Korea’s cultural diplomacy strategy, this research highlights how regional audiences do not always passively accept such practices. Using a qualitative approach with digital discourse analysis, the study analyzes boycott-related discourses circulating on social media and in online news coverage to explore the narratives, meanings, and cultural implications of this action. The fan boycott is not merely an expression of …

Subtitling Strategies For Translating Korean Terms Of Address Into Indonesian, Annisa Puji Lestari, Usmi Usmi

Multikultura

This study examines the subtitling strategies used in translating Korean terms of address into Indonesian, with a focus on how sociocultural meanings embedded in Korean address systems are conveyed in the target language. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the study analyses a corpus of dialogue excerpts taken from two Korean drama series. The findings identify seven categories of address terms: proper names, occupational titles, kinship terms, common nouns, attention-getters, pronouns, and child name-derived forms. Proper names are the most frequent category, followed by occupational titles, kinship terms, common nouns, and attention-getters, whereas pronouns and child name-based forms occur less frequently. …

Makna Simbol Hewan Dalam Peribahasa Arab Di Media Sosial, Farwah Sofwatun Nida

Multikultura

It is known that proverbs have existed for a long time, but today researchers have identified many proverbs, especially those that use animal symbolism, and these proverbs are being republished on social media. This study aims to analyze the meanings and origins of these proverbs so that we can understand the context of their current use on social media. The research was conducted using a qualitative method with an in-depth semantic approach. Data were collected through social media research techniques, drawing from YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The findings indicate that animal symbols in Arabic proverbs contain both negative and positive …