Funded Research Opportunity in Indonesia - May/July 2010

ATTENTION UNDERGRADUATES
FUNDED RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY IN INDONESIA – MAY-JULY 2010

INDEPENDENT EXPERIENTIAL STUDY PROJECTS (399Y)

APPLICATION DEADLINE MARCH 22, 2010

Producing Wealth and Poverty in Indonesia’s New Rural
Economies

Professor Tania Li, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto
Professor Pujo Semedi, University of Toronto/ Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia

This research programme examines the social relations through which rural people gain
access to, or are excluded from, the benefits of high growth agriculture in Indonesia. It
uses a team approach to examine two rural sites currently undergoing high rates of
growth. In West Kalimantan, the focus is on a bulk commodity – palm oil – supplied to
the world market. The research in Central Java examines the production of potatoes to
meet a new urban demand for MacDonald’s fries. The aim is to map the social positions,
relations and practices that shape who wins, and who loses, from Indonesia’s new rural
economies. The research program has received funds from SSHRC, with Professor Li as
the principal investigator, and Professor Semedi as collaborator. The research team
includes graduate and undergraduate students from both University of Toronto and
Gadjah Mada, Indonesia’s premier research university. The Canadian undergraduates will
be partnered with Indonesian students while in the field.

Student Experience: Undergraduate participants will receive intensive training in the
Indonesian language as well as research skills, and undertake a month of field research
together with other students working in small teams. The research of each team will
involve interviewing workers, traders, community leaders, local officials, and activists
concerned in some way with the sector in question. It will also involve observation in
naturalistic settings, such as spending a few days working along potato harvesters, or
staying at the workers’ quarters on an oil palm plantation.

Calendar, location and setting:
Calendar:
May 10 – June 30 Language Training and Fieldwork Preparation at Gadjah Mada,
Yogyakarta
July 1- July 30 Field research, Kalimantan or Java; submit complete field notes
August 30 Submit field report/working paper

Please see the attached flyer for more details.