Angie Olivia Wuysang

Easter is the foundational event of the Christian faith and the centerpiece of its global calendar. It is celebrated by more than two billion people in every corner of the world.  Historically, the dating of Easter has been a point of debate since the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD (Konsili Nicaea), which sought to separate the Christian celebration from the Jewish Passover. This historical rift deepened in 1582 when the Western church adopted the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox churches remained committed to the Julian calendar. Consequently, while Western and Eastern Orthodox churches often celebrate on different Sundays because they use different calendars, the message remains the same.   read more

Hendrikus Paulus Kaunang

Dr. Leonard Chrysostomos Epafras, a lecturer in the Inter-Religious Studies (IRS) Program, has recently published a new scholarly article examining the relationship between digital technology and theological and religious education. The article, titled “Gadgets Need Healing: A Proposal for Digital Pedagogy,” has been published in the Scopus Indexed journal Religious Education on the Taylor & Francis platform. In this article, Dr. Epafras proposes a new approach to the use of digital technology in educational processes, particularly within the context of theology and religious studies. He points out that digital devices such as gadgets and artificial intelligence are often perceived merely as neutral tools. However, according to Dr. Epafras, technology actually shapes the ways people think, interact, and understand knowledge. read more

Hendrikus Paulus Kaunang

Prospective students now have a significant opportunity to pursue higher education in the Inter-Religious Studies (IRS) Program at Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) through the Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) scholarship scheme. This prestigious funding program has become a major support system for students enrolled in the program. Currently, nearly 70% of the IRS UGM students are LPDP scholarship recipients, representing diverse regions across Indonesia, from the eastern to the western parts of the archipelago. The LPDP scholarship offers a wide range of benefits that greatly ease the financial burden of higher education. These include full tuition coverage, living allowances, language development programs, and additional support such as book and research funding, along with other academic-related expenses. Such comprehensive support enables students to fully focus on their academic and professional development. read more

The Inter-religious Studies (IRS) Program at the Graduate School Universitas Gadjah Mada has once again achieved an outstanding milestone on the global stage. In the QS World University Rankings (WUR) by Subject (Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies) 2026, the IRS UGM has officially entered the world’s top 45, improving from its previous position in 2025 (ranked 51–100). This achievement is part of UGM’s broader positive trend, with 28 academic disciplines now ranked globally, an increase from the previous year. This progress reflects the university’s consistent excellence in academic quality, research output, and strengthening international networks. read more

Hongsok Lee

The term “bapak rumah tangga” (house husband) remains unusual among Indonesians, as domestic responsibilities are mostly still linked to the wives. On the other hand, the practice of househusband is already recognized and practiced in several areas in Indonesia, providing intriguing curiosity towards the discourse of gender roles in Indonesia. This phenomenon brought Alimatul Qibtiyah, a professor in gender studies at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta and the associate director of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), to explore the emerging phenomenon of men who take on domestic and caregiving roles within Indonesian families. On March 11, 2026, she presented her research in the weekly Wednesday Forum hosted by  Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Interreligious Studies Doctoral Program (IRS UGM), Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada (CRCS UGM) and ICRS. read more

Usman

Eid al-Fitr is a religious moment eagerly awaited by Muslims after completing the fasting of Ramadan. Symbolically, Eid al-Fitr is understood as a return to fitrah (human purity). However, etymologically, Eid al-Fitr actually means “the day of returning to breaking the fast” or “the day of returning to eating (al-fithr),” referring to the word ifthar (breaking the fast). In a social context, Eid al-Fitr serves as a momentum to strengthen solidarity through traditions of silaturahmi (social bonding), visiting one another, exchanging forgiveness, and renewing human relationships. read more

Dicky Sofjan

Associate Professor Dr. Dicky Sofjan of UGM’s Inter-Religious Studies (IRS) program recently attended the Summit on the “Sustainability of Hope: Envisioning a New Horizon for Planetary Flourishing” in Rome, Italy. Held on March 12-14, 2026, the Summit was hosted by the Notre Dame University’s Just Transformations in Sustainability (JST), which “advances a distinctive model of sustainability rooted in hope, justice, and community, and seeks to catalyze transformative change grounded in the best available science and foundational ideas of “Integral Ecology”. read more

The Doctoral Program in Inter-Religious Studies at the Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2026/2027 academic year (Odd Semester), 2nd phase will officially open on 17 March 2026.

We warmly invite prospective scholars, researchers, and practitioners who are interested in advancing critical and interdisciplinary studies on religion, interfaith relations, and social transformation to apply for admission to our doctoral program.

The Inter-Religious Studies Program at UGM provides a dynamic academic environment that encourages rigorous research, constructive dialogue among religious traditions, and scholarly engagement with contemporary social issues in local, national, and global contexts. read more

Hongsok Lee

The Doctoral Program of Inter-Religious Studies (IRS) recently held its regular Dissertation Promotion Club (DPC) session, featuring a presentation by doctoral student Hongsok Lee on the progress of his dissertation titled “Indonesian Muslim Community in South Korea: Religious Identity and Practices.” The session took place on Friday, 13 March 2026, and was attended by his dissertation supervisors, Prof. Dr. Fatimah Husein and Dr. Leonard Chrysostomos Epafras, as well as fellow students who actively contributed feedback and suggestions. read more

Fransiska Yohana Sri Winarsih

In 1993, Samuel Huntington published a series of articles that later became a book. He highlights the challenges posed by Islamic values to the embrace of Western liberal democracy. People tend to think that Islamic values are static and rigid. Huntington argues that Islam is naturally incompatible with democracy, which requires flexibility, adaptability, and participation.

Looking at the world’s history, Robert W. Hefner argues that establishing democracy is not an easy task for any civilization, including the West, the place where democracy was born. The West has experienced civil wars and revolutions in its effort to establish democracy, and believing that democracy is straightforward for the West is simply misguided. Anywhere in the world, democracy presents challenges and is often accompanied by conflict. Most European societies underwent democratization during periods of interaction between religion and the state. This suggests that the active involvement of religions, represented by religious institutions, in democratic life is not antithetical to democracy; the two can coexist and influence one another. read more