The project “Taking Perspectives. Understanding and Social Cohesion in Times of Increasing Polarisation” is an exchange project for academic years of 2023 and 2024.
About the project
Taking Perspectives is an interdisciplinary exchange project between the Leipzig University, Universitas Negeri Jakarta and Universitas Brawijaya. It is organised by the Faculty of Law (Prof. Dr. Christoph Enders) and Institute for Studies of Culture (Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt-Lux) at the Leipzig University in cooperation with the Faculty of Law (Malang) and Faculty of Social Sciences (Jakarta).
The project is divided into two parts, which will take place for ten days in Germany and ten days in Indonesia. 16 students, 4 PhD candidates and 6 lecturers from the three universities will come together to participate in the different programme segments.
The main goal of the project is to initiate a dialogue between the scientific fields of Law and Culture and establish an academic connection between Indonesia and Germany.
First implemented as an interdisciplinary module ‘’Exploring Legal Cultures’’ in 2014, the project has since been dealing with the questions regarding modern society and its pluralistic nature. The religious, cultural and political varieties as well as the conflicts and agreements associated with these dimensions have been the main focus.
The project is funded by DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst/German Academic Exchange Service) and implemented within the framework of the programme ‘’Higher Education Dialogue with the Muslim World’’.
Background
While modern society is increasingly becoming heterogeneous and polarised, the skills of Understanding and Taking Perspectives are gaining substantial significance. Strengthening the ability to comprehend and be aware of the perceptions, beliefs and specific views of others in spite of different value systems, is an important condition for resolving conflicts and maintaining social cohesion.
Social Cohesion is not a naturally given phenomena. It has to continuously be negotiated and collectively created. Current social crises intensify social polarisation to such an extent that even the countries with long democratic traditions and values such as Germany and Indonesia are being confronted with the destabilising effects and risks.
Hence working towards mutual understanding, reflecting one’s own socio-cultural position and promoting the values of freedom, equality and participation, are considered to have a crucial role in relating with Indonesia as a multinational state.
Main topic and goals
The main goal of the project is to enhance theoretical reflection and methodical inclusion of Understanding and Taking Perspectives within the interdisciplinary academic context of university education.
In addition to this, the project is oriented at establishing a network for long-term cooperation. The aim of the network will be maintaining a connection and an exchange between the academic fields, junior scholars, students and external actors (non-academic institutions, NGOs).
Programme
In order to realise these goals, the project is divided into two main parts: 10 days long workshops and a Simulation Game.
The first workshop will be held in Leipzig. During this time period the first discussions, presentations, PhD colloquium and group working sessions will take place in Germany. Participants will have an opportunity to engage in group discussion on the basis of a specific problem and reading material regarding the topic of Understanding.
Excursions to external institutions in the fields of law and religion are also part of the programme. In recent years, these have included excursions such as a visit to the Federal Administrative Court and Federal Court of Justice in Leipzig, the Catholic University of Applied Social Sciences (KHSB) in Berlin and correctional facilities in Leipzig. These are designed to enable participants to engage in dialogue with experts on the topics of Understanding and conflict resolution.
As a didactical method the Simulation Game will be implemented in the form of an imitated public hearing on a specific social conflict of mutual relevance in Indonesia and Germany, for example the role of religion in the public sphere. The goal of this method is to bring juridical and non-juridical perspectives together and initiate a dialogue with the aim to actively apply and reflect the concepts of Understanding and Taking Perspectives. This part of the project will be realised in Indonesia during the second workshop week which will take place in Jakarta and Malang.
Information on past lectures
In 2019, the first part of the Law and Culture program took place in Leipzig from June 24 until July 4. The topic in 2019 focused on “Law and Cultural Change”. After the opening ceremony and the welcoming of our guest from Indonesia on the first day, the participants had a program full of activities for the next two weeks. Beside lectures that considered the main topic from a sociological as well as law perspective, the participants joined a workshop organized by the DFG Kolleg- Forschergruppe "Multiple Secularities - Beyond the West, Beyond Modernities", and visited the Regional Court, where they had the chance to discuss with female judges and lawyers about their work and role as a woman at the court. Didactical workshops, discussion rounds with experts and interdisciplinary student working groups were also part of the program in Leipzig.
Part two of the program was held in Indonesia from August 26 until September 1, 2019. The first three days, the program took place at the Universitas Negeri Jakarta. All participants joined a class hold by the National Commission on Violence against Women, and a presentation of the “Never Okay” research project on women sexual harassment. A public seminar and film screening of the movie “Among Men-Gay in East Germany” was also part of the program. In Malang, we visited the female prison, where we got an introduction, a Q&A session as well as a guidance through the prison. Beside lecturers with representatives from the NGOs “Female Workers in Malang” and “Dian Mutiara Women Crisis Center”, the student conference was part of the program, where all working groups presented their research results to the audience.
The first part of the study module took place from September 3 until September 10, 2018 in Jakarta and Malang. The topic of the 2018 program was Law – Punishment – Resocialization. Beside different introduction and methodical lectures related to the topic, the participants visited the National Commission on Human Rights (KOMNAS HAM), had a discussion with a representative from the NGO Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and went to the juvenile prison in Blitar. Introduction lectures focused on topics like “Methods of Law” from a German and Indonesian perspective as well as “Sociological Theories and Perspective on Law and Punichment”. A Keynote Speech by Prof. Demko with the topic “Theories of punishment in National and International Criminal Law” was hold at the Law Faculty in Malang. Furthermore, various cultural activities and trips in Jakarta and Malang were part of the program.
schedule Jakarta
schedule Malang
The study module continued from October 15 until October 26, 2018 in Leipzig. The students worked together in interdisciplinary and intercultural working groups in order to find argumentations in a fictitious trial. In the final stages of the program, the students presented their results in a simulation game. Beside a joint session with the DFG Kolleg-Forschergruppe "Multiple Secularities - Beyond the West, Beyond Modernities" the participants had different lectures, seminars and didactical workshops as well as reflection sessions. The participants visited the prison in Leipzig/Wachau and the Regional Court Leipzig where they had a discussion with judges from the Federal Court of Justice and the Regional Court Leipzig about decision-making at the court.
The first part of the seminar took place from the 16th of October until the 26th of October 2017 in Leipzig. The program in Leipzig comprised different methodical and didactical lectures, seminars and workshops as well as working groups and reflection session. Beside a joint session with the Kolleg-Forschergruppe "Multiple Secularities - Beyond the West, Beyond Modernities" the students visited the Federal Administrative Court, the Juvenile penal institution Regis-Breitingen, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the Youth Psychiatry.
The seminar was continued from the 3rd of December until the 11th of December 2017 in Malang. Besides working in groups and presenting the seminar topics, the participants went on cultural trips. For example they visited a female prison and made a trip to the tea plantation in Lawang.