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Opinion_
Reconnecting with peers on the PhD pathway
31 August 2022
Reflecting on the research journey after two years of relative isolation
While doing a PhD can sometimes feel like a solo journey, it doesn’t have to be a lonely one, writes University of Sydney researcher Dadung Ibnu Muktiono.
As a PhD student during the pandemic these past two years, the opportunity to connect in person with colleagues and peers has been something I’ve really missed. So when I heard that this year’s biennial Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) conference would be held in person (and online) at Monash University in Melbourne, I was excited to prepare an abstract.
The ASAA conference is world-renowned, with a sweeping cross-disciplinary focus across issues related to Asia, including my home country of Indonesia. Senior colleagues had told me that it was the perfect platform to meet well-known ‘Indonesianists’ and other scholars, and I was over the moon when my conference abstract was accepted.
Held over four days in July, the conference was a memorable experience on several fronts.
Firstly, I was able to hear presentations from Indonesia-focused scholars on a range of topics, from gender and politics, to health and social justice. I learned a lot about their subjects of expertise, but it was even more valuable to hear how they approached their research, the methods they used, the people they interviewed, and the way they presented their findings.
A presentation from Valentina Utari (University of Western Australia), on the unpaid care work performed by female PhD students from Indonesia in Australia, was particularly intriguing. It revealed notions about being a wife and a mother, and the ‘provider’ role of the father, that had resonance with my own research.
Second, with so many scholars in the one place, the conference was also a great networking opportunity. Alongside established academics, I met other inspiring PhD candidates, including several who focused on queer studies, as I do. We shared some of the challenges of conducting research during the pandemic, and even discussed possibilities for future collaboration. I was also able to meet other emerging researchers from Indonesia, who are studying at universities across Australia.
These conversations reminded me that, while doing a PhD can sometimes feel like a solo journey, it doesn’t have to be a lonely one.
Dadung (right) at SSEAC's Emerging Scholars Conference in June.
As part of the conference panel session, ‘Queer in Asia’, I presented findings from my ongoing thesis on how gay men in Indonesia perceive and perform their gay and masculine identity. This research includes an examination of the diverse responses among gay men to the prospect of heterosexual marriage and the idea of being a father, or bapak.
The presentation was followed by an engaging Q&A, and there was some great feedback from audience members. After many months working on my thesis in relative isolation, I was thankful to be able to share this research publicly and in person.
Two prior Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (SSEAC) initiatives had helped hone my presentation skills. The first of these was the SSEAC Public Speaking Workshop, held in June and open to emerging researchers working on Southeast Asia. The workshop offered invaluable tips, including how to organise information systematically; how to use slides as an aid (not a distraction!); and how to utilise storytelling techniques to keep the audience engaged.
In completing the workshop, I realised how important communication skills are to academic life – particularly in trying to convey your research findings and ideas to a broad audience.
The workshop was followed by the SSEAC Emerging Scholars Conference, which was another fantastic opportunity to connect with other postgraduate and early career researchers and put into practice the public speaking skills I had just learned. In the opening session, I presented my paper, ‘Researching gay men in post anti-LGBT hostility Indonesia’, which derives from the methods chapter of my thesis.
In my presentation, I reflected on the data collection process and how hostility toward gay men in Indonesia may discourage them from participating in formal studies, or shape the way they engage.
A question from the audience on why I am researching this cohort got me thinking about why this research is important, and why I do it. Apart from the fact that this is an under-researched area, there has been a sense of personal connection I have felt with gay men, especially in my hometown of Surabaya.
I have seen how gay men in Indonesia have become increasingly less visible due to growing stigmatisation and hostility. The question reminded me that this research is my effort to shed more light on the experiences of gay men living in strong heteronormative cultures.
During the SSEAC conference, I enjoyed several other presentations by emerging scholars. Among them was Naimah Lutfi Abdullah Talib’s insightful exploration of how coastal communities in Jakarta, displaced due to a mega port development, engage in nonviolent resistance. This research emphasised the political agency of local communities, despite their marginalised status.
Taking up these opportunities to share research, learn about other Southeast Asia-related projects and make connections, has given my own research a boost. Whether it’s insights on methods or ideas for future study, I came away with much to think about and a wider circle of like-minded colleagues. I am now looking forward to future conference opportunities, such as the Indonesia Council Open Conference happening in September next year!
Presenting at these conferences has given me inspiration and confidence as I finalise my thesis. But even in these final stages of my PhD journey, I keep in mind a saying: that ‘a good thesis is a finished one’.
Dadung Ibnu Muktiono is a PhD candidate in the Gender and Cultural Studies Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, at the University of Sydney. His thesis is titled ‘Gay Masculinities in Indonesia: Negotiating Multiple Masculinities between Spaces’.