Yogyakarta, April 20, 2026 ─ The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) of UGM, in collaboration with Flinders University, concluded its series of visiting scholar programs on Monday (April 20). As the closing event, FISIPOL UGM held a seminar titled “Retracing the Late Ben Anderson in Bangkok,” presented by Dr. Priyambudi Sulistiyanto and moderated by Muhammad Djindan, S.I.P., M.Sc. Unlike previous Visiting Scholar events, this seminar was attended by faculty members, lecturers, researchers, students, and the general public.
Opening the seminar, the Vice Dean for Research and Community Service, Collaboration, and Alumni, Fina Itriyati, Ph.D., emphasized the urgency of today’s agenda for the next generation of researchers. “I think it’s important for young students to get to know Ben Anderson in detail, and I’ll see how Mr. Budi’s thoughts will be explored, especially in relation to current socio-political developments in Indonesia,” he said.
This farewell lecture provided a reflective dialogue for the academic community to commemorate and explore the thoughts of the late Benedict Richard O’Gorman Anderson, a leading political scientist, during his time in Bangkok. Through his presentation, Dr. Budi invited participants to re-examine this intellectual legacy to enrich their perspectives on political studies in the Southeast Asian region.