Friday 18 September

Join us for the launch of the research project Mazu, Hantu, and Kue in Makassar! How has the Chinese community in Makassar turned experiences of uncertainty, vulnerability, and displacement into heritage? This new international collaborative project explores Makassar’s Chinese diaspora from the VOC era to the present, examining how religion, storytelling, and food have helped them navigate colonial rule, racial classification, and social change.

Temples dedicated to Mazu (媽祖), Guanyin (觀音), and Guan Gong (關公) were not only places of worship, but also spaces of mutual aid, social organization, and community life. Ghost stories (cerita hantu) connected to Chinese cemeteries carried memories of violence, displacement, and unresolved histories, while kue (粿) and other ritual and festive foods brought Chinese, Makassarese, and Malay traditions together.

By tracing these practices across Makassar and the Hokkien maritime world, the project asks how experiences of fear and marginality can become creativity, belonging, and shared heritage. The launch introduces the project’s research framework and plans while opening a conversation with community members about the histories, memories, traditions, and lived experiences that continue to shape Makassar’s Chinese heritage. It also marks the beginning of a longer-term dialogue between researchers and communities, with the aim of making research accessible as open educational resources and creating opportunities for future collaboration.

Wednesday 16 September

This study presentation examines the Indigenous Papuan struggle following Indonesia's state dispossessions. The Indigenous movement to repossess land has led to institutional and cultural fragmentation. Land repossession has fueled inter-clan litigation, state-court battles, and "jual di atas jual" (selling on top of selling)—a pattern in which overlapping customary titles are repeatedly resold to multiple buyers. Additionally, customary inheritance rules marginalize Indigenous women by restricting their land rights.