- Zaenal Abidin Eko Putro

I was slightly unnerved when I sat in the corner of 5^th Meeting Room of Graduate Faculty at Gadjah Mada University on 12 July 2010. Although I tried to control my emotion by looking around to other participants and lecturers of Summer School on Pluralism Knowledge Program 2010, my eyes and my sense was still being enigmatic. The big question is whether I am an appropriate participant to join this Summer School which is coordinated by Centre for Religion & Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia), in collaboration with Hivos, Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS)-India, Kosmopolis Institute, Universiteit voor Humanistiek-Utrecht (Netherland) and Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU).

I looked a lady next to me with her nice black blazer. She was writing on a book while the head of Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University remarked his welcome speak to all the guests. He was introducing his institution whose CRCS is a part of the institution. I didn’t know who the lady next to me was, but I think she must be Ugandan lady as long as I know that African participants come from Uganda.

After the head finished his remark, then, Caroline Suransky, who is one of our lecture, explained the schedule of the day. She mentioned that when opening session was over, the following agenda is having exercise by getting to know each other. The guideline was stipulated in which each participant worked in pairs.

Yeah, the time was coming. I greeted the lady next to me with saying “How do you do! Nice to meet you! What’s your name?” Soon, we had to know each other briefly, before we decided to move to go out from the meeting room. Then, we decided to sit on the floor that very closed to the window. While were acquainting each other, we could see the blooming beautiful garden. The Ugandan lady was first to point out the nice thing that I must see. “Have a look!” Oh ya, very good panoramic.

Her name is Jacqueline Arinatwe-Mughisha. She is an activist who has major interest in human right and gender issues. She is also an economics master degree holder that gained from a German university. I was not clear when she told me something in Ugandan English dialect. I got difficulties of understanding of what she says. I tried to concentrate on her intonation. Gradually, I was able understand her statements although only partially. This is also because of my poor English as many as Indonesians who use Bahasa Indonesia for daily conversation would also have difficulties when they speak English, perhaps. I think, it is a good thing that I can grasp from getting to know each other, a point that Madame Suransky insisted earlier.

“Getting to know each other” is probably an old phrase that has no meaning as long as it was utilized by the lay people. It is common feature when we meet someone for the first time to get to introduce ourselves and vice versa. However, in this summer school this phrase is more than the conventional way. It is an introduction to a serious academic discourse on multiculturalism.

Martha Nussbaum in aiming at interpreting Amartya Sen’ reckoning on “capability approach” for instance, listed among other things, emotions and affiliation. Likewise, Henk Manschot and Caroline Suransky were much in similar view of those of Nussbaum’s list of capability approach when they explained the basic argument of why all human beings should be integrated into development process. What are they? Let me try to explain these terms that of course refer to Nussbaum’s book. Emotions enable people being able to have attachments to things and people outside ourselves, whereas affiliation unfolds people to live with and toward others, and to recognize and show concern for other human beings, and to engage in various forms of social interaction, and also many other things. In addition, Ram Kakarala and Zainal Abidin Bagir observed that pluralism and multiculturalism should be best understood by the way of how people in differ society can coexist. Both pluralism and multiculturalism would hinder human development process if we signify those terms by means accepting of everything.

Let me retreat to my life before I joined my colleagues from Netherland, India, Uganda, and also Indonesia in this the summer school. Some friends of mine were being allergetic when we had discussions pertaining to the issue of the other and how can we deal with it. For example, they were curious when I say “church”. They feared on Christianization which they believe has a negative effect on Muslim community. Even, my family was surprised when I told them that I often meet and work together with some Christians, Catholics, and Buddhists. They began to worry about my faith. In broader sense, this particular feature is not uncommon in Indonesian society. Since independent 1945, competition among religious agencies has troubled Indonesian story and it still can be seen in recent days.

All in all, prejudice, religious anxiety and any other similar things must be abandoned if we will have to develop our society, especially in the way of human development process. Overcoming of hindrances for the purpose of creating interethnic or interfaith friendship and engagement must be seen as the main effort to pursue a vision of the well being people and country in the era of decentralization.

By :

Zaenal Abidin Eko Putro/A Summer School participant on Pluralism Knowledge Program 2010. I thank to Ram Kakarala for his editing.