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The blog (original) version of the article below has a different title and last paragraph from the op-ed version published today  in The Jakarta Post on 28 October 2023. On a Friday night in the romantic city of Leiden, relieved from a hectic week, I was making a warm tea in the kitchen, when I heard the national anthem , Indonesia Raya , in the background. “It’s coming from TV, isn’t it?”, my wife wondered. "Let me check it for you, dear", I walked hastily to the living room. Indeed, on TV there wa s a row of youth standing singing, “... marilah kita berseru, Indonesia bersatu ...”, the same melody and lyrics that never fail to move my heart to sing along, on any occasion anywhere. The scene was taken in the Youth Pledge Museum in Jakarta , where the historical Soempah Pemoeda took place on the 28th of October 1928.  It is remarkable to watch it broadcast on a Dutch public channel, as part of a new documentary series Indonesia roept! (Indonesia calls!). It remind

I have been living abroad, now for almost 25 years in Holland. Our daughter likes to write, and last year she expressed her feelings of growing up abroad: ... As many diasporic souls will understand, memories of what was, and imaginations of what could or will be, only amplify a certain longing for return. We did not leave Indonesia out of political or economic danger, yet the kind of longing and piercing sense of displacement that one might be reminded of when listening to iconic Lebanese singer Fairuz, linger in the background of everyday life. A sense of “temporariness” and collective nostalgia is instilled within the souls and minds of younger generations who are raised abroad. Every time elders gather; they speak of their imaginations of “home”. Retiring, “back home”. Being buried, “back home”. Sending hard-earned wages, “back home”, to build houses that further fuel their hopes of return. A twin two-story townhouse, with seven bedrooms for the children and grand-children, two k

  R E S E A R C H   &   H I G H E R   E D U C A T I O N H I S T O R Y   &   C O M M E M O R A T I O N S O C I E T Y J A V A N E S E    H O M E G A R D E N T U L I S A N    J A D U L mengapa blog ini?

  Decolonizing Research This is an unedited version of the op-ed published in  The Jakarta Post for the 77th commemoration of the Independence Day . Another year in the journey of independence has passed. We have all the reasons to celebrate it with joy like every year. Social media are flooded with happy faces, culinary delicacies and natural beauties, all presented in a red-and-white theme. Yet, one source of dissatisfaction seems to remain persistent. It concerns a perceived lack of association with the developed world in terms of science and technology. This year Indonesia assumes the prestigious G20 presidency, but one may wonder if the status of being one of the largest economies can be attributed to the knowledge possessed by the nation. It is the kind of knowledge that should be uniquely present within the Indonesian society, which determines the significance of the role that Indonesia plays in international relations. One focus of attention, so it seems as it is quite deb

  S O C I E T Y | Panji Berkibar, Layar Terkembang, Empat Langkah Tersandung (2022) | Quarantine hotels: when opportunity meets opportunism (2021) |  An elaboration to the post "Challenged and Prevailed" (2021)   |  Government is more accessible than you thought. Yes, you can make a difference! (2021) |  Challenged and prevailed: living in the Netherlands (2021) |  Help Indonesian Engineers out of Illegality (2020) |  Teman sejati setara beradab (2016) |  Merdeka belum Mandiri (2014) |  Sebuah Renungan (2014) |  Paspor dan Stiker (2013) |  Sosok dan Paspor (2011) |  SBY batal ke Belanda: emosional atau rasional? (2010) |  Mudik Lebaran (2008) |  Islamophobia and the eternal Muslim (by Karina Soemarwoto, op-ed, The Jakarta Post 2008) back to contents

Panji Berkibar, Layar Terkembang, Empat Langkah Tersandung Kita patut bangga dengan prestasi yang pernah dicapai bangsa Indonesia di masa lalu di bidang teknologi/manufaktur pesawat terbang pada fase-1 (NC-212), fase-2 (CN-235), fase-3 (N-250) menuju fase-4 (N-2130).  Persepsi masyarakat terhadap capaian ini dapat dibedakan atas lima kategori. Persepsi tidak selalu berarti tindakan nyata. Persepsi bisa tercermin dari obrolan warung kopi sampai penentuan kebijakan nasional. Lima kategori itu adalah: (1) ideologis mendukung, (2) rasional mendukung, (3) kritis netral, (4) rasional menentang, dan (5) ideologis menentang Ideologis Mendukung Makna kategori ini adalah mendukung secara mutlak tanpa syarat. Landasannya adalah nasionalisme kuat (cenderung berlebihan), yang tidak mustahil berasal dari rasa rendah diri (terhadap bangsa lain yang terlihat lebih maju). Citra, status dan kebanggaan nasional adalah prioritas utama di atas segalanya. Kelompok masyarakat ini sensitif terhadap slogan, mo

  T U L I S A N    J A D U L |  Gdansk, kota kuno yang baru (2005) back to contents

  Gdansk, kota kuno yang baru "Hati-hati, jangan sampai dirampok", begitulah boss saya menasehati ketika saya akan berangkat ke Gdansk (Danzig) di Polandia untuk suatu pertemuan dinas. Terbayanglah di benak saya, jalan yang tidak rata dan sempit, gedung yang kusam, dan orang-orang gypsi berkeliaran dimana-mana.   Ekonomi yang terangkat Dari Amsterdam saya naik pesawat SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System), transit di Copenhagen. Seperti biasa, kalau ada pertemuan di suatu negara, selagi transit pasti bertemu dengan peserta dari negara-negara lain. Begitu juga di Copenhagen,  saya dari Belanda berpapasan dengan peserta dari Spanyol, Jerman, Finlandia, Norwegia, Swedia dan tentu saja Denmark. Mendarat di Bandara Lech Walesa Gdansk memberikan kesan seperti tiba di Bandara Husein Sastranegara Bandung. Tidak kelihatan banyak pesawat. Hanya ada satu runway . Conveyor untuk koper juga hanya ada satu. Pemeriksaan paspor berlangsung agak lama. Pertanyaannya sama dengan waktu men

  |  The Javanese Homegarden (1992) |  The Javanese home garden as an integrated agro-ecosystem (1985) |  T he Talun-Kebun: A man-made forest fitted to family needs. |  Speech delivered on the Otto Soemarwoto Award ceremony (2017) |  Javanese Pekarangan Homegarden System (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage) back to contents

The Javanese home garden as an integrated agro-ecosystem Food and Nutrition Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 3, September 1985 Otto Soemarwoto, Idjah Soemarwato, Karyono, E. M. Soekartadiredja, and A. Ramlan ,  Institute of Ecology, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia INTRODUCTION In the countryside of Java, the existence of a village is indicated by a clump of dense vegetation amidst rice fields. The houses are almost completely concealed by this vegetation; from the air the villages look like dark-green islands in a sea of light-green or yellow rice fields. A closer look at the village reveals that the dense vegetation consists of plants in gardens surrounding the houses. This is particularly true of Central Java. In West Java the houses, surrounded by gardens, are often clustered together with hardly any open space in between. The village may also be fenced in by a hedge of bamboo or other plants. TERMINOLOGY The most widely used Indonesian term for home gardens is pekarangan. Befo