The international participatory school “Human Origins Heritage” was organized in the central part of Java Island for two years by Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana of Salatiga (UKSW) and Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN). Its aim is to enable students of various nationalities and academic backgrounds to develop within the framework of this program a short project, with interdisciplinary issues, in contact with the local Sangiran dome communities.
Direction
François Sémah
(Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle)
How Eveha International Participates
research and project management
Localisation
Indonésia
Location and Historical Summary
The Sangiran Dome is located in central Java, Indonesia. Archaeological excavations have yielded numerous Homo erectus fossils, making Sangiran a major site for the study of Prehistory.
Research History
The first archaeological excavations were conducted in the 1930s and continued until the mid-1940s. New excavation campaigns have been organized by the Indonesian authorities since the 1960s. Due to its significance, the site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.
In addition to fieldwork, research projects also emphasize training. Within this framework, the “Human Origins Heritage” participatory international school has been organized in central Java since 2017. This is a joint initiative of the Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW) in Salatiga and the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) in Paris.
The ten-day program takes place on the island of Java, split between the Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana in Salatiga for the theoretical component and the Sangiran World Heritage site for the fieldwork approach.
The academic ambition is to allow students from various nationalities and academic backgrounds (prehistory, tourism, sociology, sustainable development, biology, and museography) to develop a short, interdisciplinary research project. This is done through direct contact with the local communities of the Sangiran Dome (residents, guides, students, and local authority representatives).
At the crossroads of scientific, heritage, and tourism issues, the goal is for Master’s level students to develop tools through a participatory approach involving all local stakeholders. This approach aims to reconcile scientific research with cultural, tourism, and economic development at a major site like Sangiran, while preserving the livelihood of local communities.
Partners
Université Kristen Satya Wacana de Salatiga (UKSW)
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN)
Centre national de la Recherche Archéologique d’Indonésie (Puslit Arkenas)
Musée de Sangiran (BPSMPS)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Institut pour la Recherche et pour le Développement (IRD).
