Bright or Dark?

Indonesia is in the middle of an emergency situation. By this, I don't mean bad things such as war or military coups. I mean, there are communication issues among citizens that make a healthy discussion impossible. Health is, of course, a broad term. Lately, students, academics, and think tanks have expressed their concerns over the political-economic situation. Their critical sentiment is enshrined in the popular colloquial term "Indonesia Gelap," which means "dark Indonesia." Not until recently did the government, via one of the ministers, commence a counter-campaign entitled "Indonesia terang" (Bright Indonesia).As an Indonesian citizen living abroad, I couldn't do anything except observe. All problems should be treated in detail and using a pragmatic and technocratic approach. I see...

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Good Morning, Indonesia

Good morning, Indonesia. This is a greeting from an Indonesian living in Birmingham, UK. I live in a distant country that many people long for. I used to dream of living and being a student in Europe or, at least, in East Asian countries. This was my dream, and I'm lucky enough to have finally experienced it. I have lived in this city since 2021. It is a big city, just like Jakarta, Indonesia. Yet, this city does not have the same situation as Jakarta. I mean, the crowd and traffic are less disorganized of a town as big as Birmingham.  This is a little note from me. The above paragraph does not capture all my views about this country and Birmingham in particular. The background for comparing Birmingham and Jakarta is contextual and situational, even cultural and political. I...

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Englishmen Versus American

I have just read a passage about the cultural differences between two old countries – the USA and the UK. Mind-set and behavioral differences, such as responses to failure and success, are discussed in the article, as well as financial openness. It is not a robust and large-scale research supported by extensive surveys. So, it attracts various challenges and criticism. For the same reason, you can not find a genuine response from a straightforward, well-designed research framework.In the above paragraph, I differentiated between individual observation and extensive scientific research, which is usually equipped with sophisticated methods, ground-breaking approaches and theories, and mass observation. I do not try to imply that personal experience does not deserve equal respect and scientific...

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The Dead of Expertise

I finally realized that expertise is not solely about the expert—an individual. Gradually, a new horizon emerged, revealing an unprecedented understanding, at least from my perspective. I mean, a mental framework and habitual patterns underlie expertise. In other words, expertise is not a product. The products, such as theories, statements, arguments, theses, or conclusions, are merely signposts of expertise. One cannot be labeled an expert simply for producing these "outputs." Therefore, academic work often adheres to fixed or rigid rules, such as writing styles, structures, and specific terms or definitions. It is not about institutional or teacher dominance, but rather about established structures and representations of human thought and understanding. While this system is not perfect,...

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November in Birmingham

I have been in Birmingham, England, for two and a half years. This is a city that I frequently heard of during my childhood and teens. A far way city unknown to me and my childhood to university friends. If I looked back to those years, it was almost unbelievable and near magic that I was going to pursue my PhD in this lovely city. At that time, in Purwokerto, a small city in Central Java, Indonesia, I was struggling to finish my undergraduate thesis, not to mention thinking about doing doctoral research abroad. Yet, I'm here. Cruising through the ups and downs. Responding and trying to solve challenges and issues. Now, I live with my wife and our cute but intelligent daughter. November in Birmingham is cold. It's technically in the winter. Snow is supposed to be expected but none has...

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