Authors
Aimee Dawis
Aimee Dawis is a lecturer at the University of Indonesia's Department of Communication within the School of Social and Political Sciences and the Department of Literature within the School of Humanities. She obtained her Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Communications from Loyola Marymount University at Los Angeles, California, Cornell University at Ithaca, New York and New York University at New York City. Her book, based on her Ph.D. dissertation, The Chinese and their Search for Identity: The Relationship between Collective Memory and the Media has been published by Cambria Press. Dawis currently writes and publishes her work on China and the cultural identity of the Chinese in Indonesia, Chinese education in Indonesia, the evolution of Chinese organizations in Indonesia, and the changing role of Chinese-Indonesian women. Her research interests also include the interdisciplinary nature of Cultural Studies (e.g. the intersections between Cultural Studies and Architecture) and the impact of Korean popular culture and new communications media in Indonesia. Dawis also conducts research on the Indonesian film industry.
Berly Martawardaya
Berly Martawardaya is a lecturer at University of Indonesia School of Economics and a senior economist at INDEF (Institute for Development of Economics and Finance). Martawardaya is also a PhD candidate in Economics at University of Siena in Italy. He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Indonesia and MSc in Economics from Free University Amsterdam. He has presented scientific papers in international academic conferences in Australia, Japan, Italy, and France with research focus of growth, education, and game theory. He has contributed to op-ed columns in Kompas, Jakarta Post, Jakarta Globe, Gatra, Sindo, Business Week, and Brunei Times. His civil society involvements include Netherland Alumni Association, NU Profesional Circle, and Indonesia Development Evaluation Community (InDEC).
Bramantyo Prijosusilo
Bramantyo Prijosusilo is a writer, rice farmer, artist, broadcast journalist, translator, and pencak silat martial artist. He has published in The Jakarta Post, The Jakarta Globe, and Tempo English. Among his prior posts included being an assistant producer and presenter for Keo Films (London), writing news analysis for New Asia Media (USA) and writing radio pieces and producing for BBC World Service (London). He has held various posts for British TVs and film productions, such as BBC, Keo Films, and Pilot Productions. As an artist, he worked closely with Iwan Fals and the late W.S. Rendra. Prijosusilo is known for his passions in pencak silat, Javanese gamelan, and wayang kulit performances.
Dede Oetomo
Dédé Oetomo was a lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of Universitas Airlangga from 1984-2003. He resigned when the faculty’s Master's program in sexuality studies was blocked by management and since that time has been working full-time within GAYa NUSANTARA, the Indonesian gay organization he helped to found in 1987. He is now an organization trustee, undertaking research, training, advocacy and mentoring second- and third-generation Indonesian LGBTIQ activists and others concerned with studying sexuality critically. As a gay activist, Oetomo argues that in addition to community mobilizing and provision of safe space, it remains important to engage in contestation of knowledge with opponents of gay emancipation. To this end he is a prolific publisher of articles for the print media in Indonesia. Oetomo holds a PhD in linguistics from Cornell University. His thesis examined issues of language and identity in an ethnic Chinese community in East Java Province, Indonesia and paid particular attention to phenomena such as diversity, contexts, and situationality—phenomena which he later brought into the study of gender and sexual diversity. He is also the founder of Jurnal Gandrung, a popular journal focusing on gender and sexuality as social and cultural constructions.
Jennie S. Bev
Jennie Siat Bev is a writer-activist born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. A world traveler since childhood, she early on had strong notions of multiculturalism and human equality. Bev earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Indonesia, a Master of Science in Education from California State University, Hayward (East Bay), and is currently in the final stage of her doctorate study in Electronic Commerce from Northcentral University. She also attended journalism and technical writing classes at UC Berkeley and UCLA, as well as American studies at UC Berkeley and post-grad Humanities classes at California State University at Dominguez Hills. Since 1994, she has more than 900 articles and 80 electronic books published under her belt. Bev’s recent works have appeared in The Jakarta Post, The Jakarta Globe, Korea Times, Asia Sentinel (China), Media Bistro, Women’s International Perspectives, and others, and have been published in an anthology, From Golden Bridge to Golden Monument: Essays on Humanity, Fairness, and Peace. From 2004 to 2008, she taught 50 college essay and paper writing classes for Western Governors University. In Indonesia, she taught Business Law and TOEFL preparation. In 2003, Bev was an EPPIE award nominee for excellence in electronic publishing. She is a 2009 Peace Writer at Joan B. Kroc Peace and Justice Institute at University of San Diego. Currently, she is in the process of establishing a university based in Northern California. She is the founder of the self-funded Center for Minority, Gender and Human Rights, a 501(c)3 pending nonprofit organization based in California.
Patrick Guntensperger
Patrick Guntensperger is a writer, journalist, and lecturer. He writes for The Jakarta Globe, Asia Times, and The Asia Mag. He lectures writing techniques at Monash University Jakarta Campus and Bina Nusantara University. Among his prior posts included working as a senior consultant and a managing editor for Van Zorge, Hefferman and Associates and Director of Studies at English First Bekasi. He obtained his MA and BA in Philosophy from York University (Canada) and BA in English/Film Criticism from Brock University, Saint Catharines (Canada). Guntensperger is currently working for Oxford Index, a UK-based CSR Consultancy.
Soe Tjen Marching
Soe Tjen Marching is an academic, creative writer, and composer. She completed her PhD in Asian studies at Monash University in Australia in 2003. As a writer, she won several creative writing competitions in Australia, among them are First Prize Winner for Creative Writing Competition held by Melbourne University in 2000 and joint winner for Creative Writing Competition held by Ballarat City Council in 2003. She has published The Discrepancy between the Public and the Private Selves of Indonesian Women (2007, The Edwin Mellen Press). Marching has lectured on Indonesian literature and feminism at several Universities in Australia. She also appeared as a guest lecturer on ethnicity in Indonesia at Humboldt University and European University Viadrina in Germany in 2007. As a composer, her works have been performed in Asia and Europe, and released in the album "Asia Piano Avantgarde: Indonesia." She also lectured at University of London SOAS and founded Bhinneka popular journal focusing on diversity and pluralism.