Yogyakarta, 2 October 2025–The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FISIPOL UGM) held a workshop entitled “Contesting Hegemony: Labor, Ideology, and the Limits of Resistance in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia” in the FISIPOL UGM’s 4th floor auditorium. The event featured four speakers: Vedi Hadiz (University of Melbourne), Hari Nugroho (Universitas Indonesia), Diatyaka Yasih (Universitas Indonesia), and Muhtar Habibi (Universitas Gadjah Mada). The discussion explored how power, ideology, and the working class interact in Indonesia’s post-New Order political and economic system, as well as the extent to which community survival strategies can develop into forms of resistance against hegemonic domination.
From the provocative question, “Can survival strategies develop into strategies that contest domination?”, the speakers highlighted that post-authoritarian societies often still live under neoliberal power structures that limit their freedom of movement. Efforts to survive amid an oppressive economic-political system often do not transform into collective resistance, but rather stop at the level of adaptation.
As Hari Nugroho explained, common sense and critical consciousness are needed to respond to the current socio-political situation. According to him, pious morality often naturalizes sacrifice, making inequality seem legitimate and morally valuable.
However, in the midst of this situation, fragments of criticism such as protests, pride, or social negotiations can foster critical awareness. Even so, this awareness is still fragile, because it is often reabsorbed into the dominant moral framework. In other words, resistance to hegemony is often hampered by the ideological forces inherent in the social and religious life of Indonesian society.
Overall, the workshop “Contesting Hegemony: Labor, Ideology, and the Limits of Resistance in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia” supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the 8th SDG: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and the 10th SDG: Reduced Inequalities. Through this interdisciplinary discussion, participants were invited to see that economic development is not only about increasing productivity, but also about structural justice, protection of workers’ rights, and equality in the distribution of power and resources.
By critiquing dominant ideologies, unequal legal practices, and fragmentation within the labor movement, this event encouraged the emergence of critical awareness and new solidarity among the working class—two things that are important foundations for the creation of an inclusive and sustainable society. This workshop proves that efforts to achieve the SDGs are not only carried out through economic policies, but also through intellectual spaces that revive debates about social justice and the dignity of workers in contemporary Indonesia.