Suraya Abdulwahab Afiff, Ph.D., is an environmental anthropologist who has long focused on issues of political ecology, agrarian change, indigenous peoples’ rights, and environmental policy. She is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), University of Indonesia (UI), a senior researcher at the Asia Research Centre, and actively involved in civil society organizations such as WALHI. As an academic who also bridges the world of activism, Suraya conducts extensive international collaborative research highlighting power relations in natural resource management and indigenous peoples’ land rights. Her research combines anthropology, environmental studies, and policy analysis to understand the political impacts of development and agrarian dynamics in Indonesia. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Indonesian Anthropological Association (AAI) and leads the Cluster for Living Space and Socio-Political Transformation. Through her work and teaching, Suraya promotes a critical approach that places ecological issues, indigenous peoples’ rights, and climate change as central agendas in contemporary Indonesian anthropology.
Education
B.Sc. Biology, University of Indonesia (1985)
M.A. Marine Affairs and Policy, University of Miami (1996)
Ph.D. Environmental Science Policy and Management (Society and Environment), University of California, Berkeley (2004)
Selected Publications
Afiff, S.A. (2025). “Land Rights and Agrarian Reform during Jokowi Era.” in Sana Jaffrey and Eve Warburton (Eds.), How Jokowi Changed Indonesia. Indonesian Update Series. Singapore: ISEAS
McCharty, J. F., Dhiaulhaq, S.A., Afiff, S., & Robinson, K. (2022). Land reform rationalities and their governance effects in Indonesia: Provoking land politics or addressing adverse formalisation?. Geoforum, 132, 92–102.
Afiff, S. A. (2022). Anthropology and the Problem of Climate Change: A Critical Political Ecology Perspective. Jurnal Antropologi: Isu-isu Sosial Budaya, 24(01): 109–118.
Afiff, S. A. (2021). Remote Sensing as Biopower. Hot Spots, Fieldsights.
Afiff, S. A. & Rachman, N. F. (2019). Institutional Activism: Seeking Customary Forest Rights Recognition from within the Indonesian State. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 20(5): 453–470.
Dr. Prihandoko Sanjatmiko is a lecturer at the Department of Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia, and a member of the Living Space and Socio-Political Transformation research cluster. His research focuses on environmental anthropology with a particular interest in human adaptation to ecological changes within maritime, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems. He has developed expertise in human ecology, multispecies anthropology, maritime anthropology, and human-environment relations. His research highlights the adaptation practices of communities in the Segara Anakan region of Cilacap, reflecting the reciprocal interaction between humans and their environment. In his teaching, he employs an interdisciplinary approach to understand the complexities of human adaptation to rapid ecological shifts, while critiquing classical notions of common property and the tragedy of the commons.
Education
BA in Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia (1992)
MA in Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia (2000)
PhD in Human Ecology, IPB University (2012)
Selected Publications
Sanjatmiko, P. (2016). Common Property di Tengah Perubahan Bentang Alam Kawasan Segara Anakan. Department of Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia.
Sanjatmiko, P., Rahmawati, P., & Bahtiar, M. R. (2017). Kekayaan potensi mangrove Segara Anakan Cilacap dengan latar belakang masyarakat kampung laut yang gigih berjuang. Department of Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia.
Sanjatmiko, P. (2021). Multispecies ethnography: reciprocal interaction between residents and the environment in Segara Anakan, Indonesia. South East Asia Research, 29(3), 384–400.
Sanjatmiko, P., & Supriatna, E. (2020). “Compromise” Between Human and Nature: A Multispecies Ethnography Approach for Redefining the Concept of Human Adaptation. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 9, 567-576.
Sanjatmiko, P. (2019). Interpretative Co-Management of Tourism in Mangrove Trekking Tour Management: Case Study on Kampung Laut Community, Segara Anakan, Cilacap, Indonesia. Anthropology and Ethnology Open Access Journal, 2(2), 1-10.
Sanjatmiko, P. (2018). A Critical Review of Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons (1968): A Case Study on the Segara Anakan Community, Cilacap, Central Java. Antropologi Indonesia, 39(1), 1.
Dr. phil. Geger Riyanto is a social anthropologist focusing on Indonesian socio-cultural studies, particularly regarding indigeneity, intergroup relations, and resource frontiers in eastern Indonesia. He completed his doctoral studies at Universität Heidelberg, Germany, with a dissertation that received an award from the Frobenius Institute. His research examines how identity, power relations, and local history operate within the context of resource frontiers and social conflict. In addition to academic publications, Geger actively writes opinion pieces in popular media to bridge anthropology with contemporary public discourse. He is committed to strengthening public anthropology in Indonesia through a combination of in-depth research, critical reflection, and social engagement.
Education
Bachelor in Sociology, Universitas Indonesia (2008)
Master in Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia (2015)
PhD in Anthropology, Universität Heidelberg, Germany (2022)
Selected Publications
Riyanto, G. (2025). Indigeneity as a sphere of differences: State enclosure and counter-enclosure of rural spaces in Indonesia. Anthropological Theory, 0(0), 1-25.
Riyanto, G. (2024). From Bizarre Encounters to Native Strangeness: Indigenous Otherness and Insider-Outsider Interactions in Indonesia. Critical Asian Studies, 56(1), 137–153.
Riyanto, Geger. (2024). “Mocking While Working With Problematic Representations: The Irony of Ethnographic Sensibility in Indonesia.” Anthropology and Humanism 49 (1): 25–32.
Riyanto, G. (2023). Beyond Sedentary Bias: An Ethnographic Reflection of Deforestation in Seram, Eastern Indonesia. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 24(4), 312–316.
Riyanto, G. (2022). Suspicion and Overlapping Orders of Precedence: Imagining Secret History in Founder-Focused Societies of Eastern Indonesia. Oceania, 92: 213-228.
Rhino Ariefiansyah is an anthropologist, ethnographer, and documentary filmmaker with a focus on environmental issues, agriculture, and climate change. Since 2013, he has been a member of the Rural Response to Climate Change cluster at the UI Center for Anthropological Studies, and was previously active in various international professional organizations such as the International Sociological Association (ISA) and the American Association of Geographers (AAG). His research combines visual anthropology, human geography, and artistic experimentation to understand community responses to environmental changes in rural areas. He explores the interconnections between culture, space, and agricultural practices within the context of climate change and global dynamics. In addition to his academic activities, Rhino is also involved in documentary production training, which strengthens his position as both a researcher and a creative practitioner in documenting social and ecological changes.
Education
Bachelor of Anthropology, University of Indonesia (2003)
Master of Experimental Arts and Politics (MEAP), SciencesPo Paris (2014)
Selected Publications
Dwiartama, A., Akbar, Z. A., Ariefiansyah, R., Maury, H. K., & Ramadhan, S. (2024). Conservation, livelihoods, and agrifood systems in Papua and Jambi, Indonesia: A case for diverse economies. Sustainability, 16(5), 1996.
Ariefiansyah, R., & Herman, R. (2023). The fantasy of national rice barn and reality of farmers in Indramayu. Antropologi Indonesia, 44(2), 3.
Ariefiansyah, R., & Webber, S. (2022). Creative farmers and climate service politics in Indonesian rice production. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 49(5), 1037–1063.
Ariefiansyah, R. (2022). Baju koko Black Panther-style: Understanding the connection between the film industry and the fashion business in Indonesia. Film Economy, 1(1), 171–186.
Azis, A., Ariefiansyah, R., & Utami, N. S. (2020). Precarity, migration and brokerage in Indonesia: Insights from ethnographic research in Indramayu. In The Migration Industry in Asia: Brokerage, Gender and Precarity (pp. 11–31).
Dave Lumenta, Ph.D. is an anthropologist, musician, and photographer who actively teaches in the UI Anthropology Department. He previously served as Chief Editor of the Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia (2017–2024) and has received various fellowships from prestigious institutions such as ALMI and Kyoto University. His research highlights the dynamics of highland and lowland relations in Kalimantan, mobility and social circulation in Southeast Asia, colonial history and state formation, and the anthropology of art. He focuses on how cultural expressions, spatial changes, and power relations shape community life. Through research and creative practice, Dave enriches anthropological understanding with an approach that combines art, history, and ethnography.
Education
Bachelor of Anthropology, University of Indonesia (1997)
PhD in Anthropology, Kyoto University (2008)
Selected Publications
Lumenta, D. (2020). “Social Minoritization within the Framework of the State: A Case Study of Border Communities in North Kalimantan.” In Z. Muttaqien (Ed.), Dilema Minoritas di Indonesia: Ragam, Dinamika, dan Kontroversi (p. 14). Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
Lumenta, D. & Hudayana, B. (Eds.). (2020). Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium of Journal Antropologi Indonesia: The Use and Abuse of Diversity: Anthropological Responses to the Threat of Disintegration. Depok: Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia.
Tanu, D., Missbach, A., & Lumenta, D. (2017). Introduction: Forced Migration and Protracted Transit in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia, 38(1): 1–5.
Lumenta, D. (2017). The political economy of ending headhunting in central borneo: Inter-colonial and kenyah perspectives on the 1924 kapit peacemaking agreement and its aftermath. Modern Asian Studies, 51(4), 1070-1098.
Aryo Danusiri, Ph.D. is an anthropologist and documentary filmmaker whose work explores the intersection of anthropology, critical media, and visual practice. He completed his doctorate at Harvard University in Social Anthropology and Critical Media Practice and is affiliated with the Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab. His research focuses on the relationships between politics, technology, ethics, religion, public space, and the climate crisis. As a documentary filmmaker, Aryo has developed a multimodal approach to documenting contemporary social issues, including the “Fire Play” project on indigenous fire governance in Indonesia. He also serves as an editor for the series Knowhow in a Shifting World, which discusses epistemology and the transmission of knowledge across global contexts. His films and writings position him as a figure bridging academic anthropology with artistic practice and political advocacy.
Education
Bachelor of Anthropology, University of Indonesia (1997)
M.Phil. in Visual Cultural Studies, Tromsø University, Norway (2005)
Ph.D. in Social Anthropology and Critical Media Practice, Harvard University
Selected Publications
Danusiri, A. (Forthcoming). Knowhow in a Shifting World. In Intermission: Mediating Knowledge and Politics in West Papua. IIAS & Humanities Across Borders (HAB).
Danusiri, A. (2024). Culture as Technology. Inside Indonesia, Issue 156 (Apr–Jun).
Danusiri, A. (2018). Intersubjectivity and Camera Style in Ethnographic Film. Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia, 39(1).
Danusiri, A. (2018). Counter-Political Chronotopes and the Visuality of Victims in Documentary Film: A Media Anthropology Study. Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia, 39(2).
Danusiri, A. (2014). Performing Crowds: The Circulative Urban Forms of the Tariqa Alawiya Youth Movement in Contemporary Indonesia. In Lanz (Ed.), Global Prayers: Contemporary Manifestations of the Religious in the City – metroZones 13.
Danusiri, Y., et al. (2009). Figures of Indonesian Modernity. Indonesia, 87, 35–72. Cornell University Southeast Asia Program.
Iman Fachruliansyah, M.Si., is a biological anthropologist researching human diversity and migration in the Nusantara (Indonesian Archipelago). He integrates molecular anthropology, historical linguistics, kinship studies, and ethnography to explore human genetic history. His research interests include evolutionary anthropology, human evolution and diversity, Austronesian studies, historical linguistics, and demography. He utilizes mitochondrial DNA analysis to trace human genetic variation, which is then linked to migration patterns, language, and socio-cultural structures. Additionally, Iman develops a human behavioral ecology approach to understand adaptation and evolutionary dynamics within ecological and cultural contexts. His research enriches the study of biological anthropology in Indonesia by highlighting the interconnectedness of biology, culture, and history.
Education
BA in Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia (2010)
Master of Biology, University of Indonesia (2015)
Research student, Human Genome Diversity Lab, Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology (2013–2015)
Selected Publications
Meliala, A. E., Fachruliansyah, I., et al. (2023). Forensic criminology textbook: Forensics as a criminological study and the involvement of other disciplines in crime investigation. Salemba Humanika.
Fachruliansyah, I. (2019). The Enggano Ethnic Group in the Debate on Austronesian Language and Ethnic Families: An Anthropological Review. Antropologi Indonesia, 40(1), 19–48.
Fachruliansyah, I. (2018). Biological Anthropology in Indonesia: An Exploration and Potential for Development. Antropologi Indonesia, 39(2), 90–114.
