The Department of Anthropology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is pleased to announce the opening of two scholarship opportunities for master’s students to conduct thesis research on the topic of Political Ecology of Oil Palm Rejuvenation in Meliau, West Kalimantan. This initiative aims to support in-depth field research in the region, continuing previous studies led by Tania Li and Pujo Semedi from 2010 to 2014.
This scholarship provides funding for three months of fieldwork, which will be conducted from April to June 2025. The research is focused on understanding the socio-economic and ecological dimensions of oil palm rejuvenation, a process that has become critical due to the aging condition of plantations in West Kalimantan.
Research Topic: The scholarship specifically supports research on the Political Ecology of Oil Palm Rejuvenation in West Kalimantan, which examines the ongoing efforts to rejuvenate aging oil palm plantations. Rejuvenation has been a gradual process, constrained by financial, labor, and sustainability concerns. Moreover, this research will explore social issues tied to land access, which have remained unresolved since the plantations were first established in 1993. The study also aims to address the challenges faced by smallholders in accessing funds for rejuvenation and their dependence on oil palm as a primary economic activity.
Scholarship Coverage: The scholarship will cover transportation costs for a round-trip between Yogyakarta and Pontianak, as well as field transportation and living expenses up to IDR 6,000,000.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Candidates must be master’s students (S2) in the Department of Anthropology, who are in at least their third semester and are ready to write a thesis.
- They must have completed and passed both MPE (Methodology for Ethnographic Research) and PPL (Fieldwork), and participated in TPL/Ethnographic Research.
- Candidates must submit evidence of fieldwork data gathered through TPL/Ethnographic Research.
- Applicants must submit a research proposal of 500 words outlining their thesis plan.
- The research proposal and TPL/Ethnographic Research data must be sent to pujosemedi@ugm.ac.id no later than March 15, 2025.
Outcome: The selected candidates will be required to compile ethnographic data through participatory observation during their fieldwork. The resulting thesis, which should be between 100 and 150 pages, will be based on data collected from the fieldwork and must be submitted in July-August 2025.
Through this scholarship, the UGM Department of Anthropology aims to encourage research that addresses critical ecological and social issues within Indonesia’s agricultural sector. This initiative also continues the department’s commitment to supporting rigorous academic research that contributes to the development of sustainable solutions for the nation’s pressing environmental challenges.
