UNAIR NEWS – Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) has the honor of hosting the 13th International Convention of Asian Scholars (ICAS) in 2024. ICAS, which was born from IIAS (International Institute for Asian Studies), is one of the largest international conferences in the world. It attracts participants from more than 60 countries around the world.
In implementing the 13th ICAS in Surabaya, Universitas Airlangga through AIIOC (Airlangga Institute of Indian Ocean Crossroad) is collaborating with IIAS, to be the host. ICAS will involve around 1,250 participants consisting of scholars, cultural practitioners, and civil society worldwide. The event will be held from July 28 to August 1, 2024.
Based on the interview with the director of AIIOC on Sunday, May 28, 2023, Dr. Lina Puryanti said that ICAS is one of the important agendas of the new research center of Airlangga University, Airlangga Institute for Indian Ocean Crossroads (AIIOC) as stated in the ICAS MoU between IIAS and AIIOC on May 8, 2023. The MoU was also witnessed by the Rector of Universitas Airlangga, Prof. Moh Nasih and the President of Leiden University, Prof. Annetje Ottow. The signing of the ICAS MoU was also an important part of the MoU between Universitas Airlangga and Leiden University.
Collaboration of four clusters of science
Lina said that AIIOC was formed from the collaboration of four different scientific families but connected to one another. The collaboration involved the Faculty of Humanities (FIB), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), Faculty of Medicine (FK), and Faculty of Public Health (FKM).
“We started with four faculties as pioneers. We are committed to working together for the big vision of UNAIR working at local, national, and global levels,” said the Director of AIIOC.
“Chemistry at several points emerged because we realized academics are not only about competition between scholars or faculties. But also how to project Airlangga in a creative, innovative way. It is the treasure we found at UNAIR, which is based on warm friendship and enthusiasm to talk to each other across borders,” said Lina.
Surabaya chosen
Furthermore, she also conveyed the main reason Surabaya was chosen as the venue for ICAS. It is because Surabaya has a solid history in Asia.
“Why did IIAS choose Surabaya? Because Surabaya has a very significant history in Asia, as a city with the nickname City of Heroes, Surabaya is a symbol of heroism and multiculturalism,” said the Vice Dean of FIB UNAIR.
Furthermore, Surabaya had historical roots of past international trade and Dutch colonialism and Japanese occupation and resulted in melting pot communities in almost every corner of Surabaya. Thus, Surabaya is also a cosmopolitan space consisting of many ethnicities, such as Chinese, Javanese, Indian, Arab, Malay, and even European descent.
According to Lina, UNAIR has a vision and mission that aligns with ICAS. “The ICAS program is in line with UNAIR’s global vision. Namely, forming a global academic community through the development of leading, innovative, and independent international activities with positive impacts on the society. This vision has been implemented for a long time through various conferences, seminars, and community service activities. The focus is on Asian issues and involves academics from all over Asia,” she said.
Lina hopes that the 13th ICAS in Surabaya, which carries the concept of ConFes (conferences and festivals), will place UNAIR on the world academic map and become a tower of fire, not an ivory tower. “Knowledge production is not only limited by the walls of campus institutions but also from various initiatives originating from the community who work together with campuses,” she concluded. (*)
Author: Aidatul Fitriyah
Editor: Binti Q Masruroh
