Yogyakarta, November 2nd 2023─Fisipol UGM is committed to becoming one of the four international universities that have joined together to promote international cooperation, the Global Humanities Alliance. Together with the University of Melbourne, the University of Toronto, Ashoka University, and the University of Manchester, they have been holding discussions to prepare for the formation of the Global Humanities Alliance since 2021. The Global Humanities Alliance (GHA) is a collaboration that contributes to social-humanities disciplines to respond to various developments and dynamics occurring in the world.
The University of Melbourne was the first initiator to initiate the Global Humanities Alliance. Having established bilateral cooperation for 10 years with Fisipol UGM, the University of Melbourne is developing wider cooperation by collaborating with the University of Toronto, Ashoka University, and the University of Manchester through this initiative. This alliance is based on the concern and anxiety among universities in strengthening social-humanities studies in response to various existing developments and how issues regarding how social-humanities disciplines position themselves in broader debates to provide a more real contribution from social-humanities sciences. In its plans, the Global Humanities Alliance’s activities include research collaboration, academic collaboration, knowledge transfer through staff and student exchanges, as well as joint publications. This collaboration, which has been developing for two years, is expected to be officially launched next year.
Apart from that, Fisipol UGM, as one of the initiators in preparing this alliance, continues to strive to develop a broader representation of universities in the international realm.
“(In) the preparatory discussion process, there was a suggestion that five universities from five countries were not enough, especially as this GHA encourages more inclusive and stronger relations between universities in the Global North and Global South. “So there is a proposal that this alliance be expanded by inviting universities from other Global South areas such as Latin America and Africa,” explained Poppy S. Winanti, Deputy Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UGM. Apart from expanding externally, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM plans to involve other social-humanities faculties such as the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty of Philosophy, and the Faculty of Psychology to join this alliance in the future.
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM is also confident that the experience of international cooperation carried out for more than the last 10 years is sufficient capital to be involved in international initiatives. Funding, which was previously the main challenge in establishing international collaboration, has been overcome through support from universities and faculties, the central government, and collaboration with various national ministries.
Meanwhile, the closest agenda in preparing the Global Humanities Alliance, Fisipol UGM is committed to continuing to discuss governance and activity development actively. For example, preparing and aligning existing policies in the faculty to achieve common goals in this alliance. UGM Fisipol hopes that through the Global Humanities Alliance, it can support SDGs 17 (Partnerships to Achieve Goals) while strengthening UGM’s international reach and global engagement.