Dra. Novita Dewi, M.S., M.A (Hons.)., Ph.D. won the Erasmus Mundus Staff Mobility Fellowship to teach and conduct some research at the Centre of Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) at the School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, UK from 26 February to 26 March 2013. Her short stint shows how literature and architecture can converse and engage with one another through their respective ways of thinking.
I arrived in Oxford on Wednesday 27th February, 2013, and settled into the Centre of Development and Emergency Practice at the School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.
During my time in Brookes, I contributed 1 (one) talk entitled Gender and Space and Identity in Indonesia: Literary Imagination to the CENDEP/School of Architecture research staff on Tuesday, 19th March at Gibbs Building. Although attended by 5 (five) participants due to clash schedule with other faculty’s activities, the audience’s participation and comments were quite lively and critical with which I can improve and develop my topic into a research paper.
Earlier, on Wednesday, 13th March, 2013, I also gave another talk to a group of MA students to share my research experience conducted in Sri Lanka on conflict transformation through theatre in between 2007 – 2008.This dissertation seminar was held from 2 to 4 PM at Sinclair Building and attended by 13 students. Entitled Reflection on Studying Lived Experience in Another Culture, my talk focused more on hands-on experiences about applying specific methodologies (in this case, hermeneutic phenomenology) and how to revisit theories to the constraints of and reality on the field. I explained how I had to manoeuvre the direction of my research from investigating English novels about war written by Sri Lankans into people theatre for peace in the country, due to the fact that the Sinhalese and the Tamils tend to write in their own language for their own audience. In my brief observation, the students were polite and attentive during the talk, but were hard to engage in discussion. This was most probably because they came from a wide variety of backgrounds and they had not yet found any interesting topics at this initial stage of their research. During the second part of the dissertation seminar, a number of students asked questions and one student from Japan spent a considerable time to discuss his project with me.
I was lucky to arrive in Oxford at the time the city held the famous Oxford Literary Festival. Part of the festival was held in Brookes University under the invitation of the Department of English and Modern Languages and the School of Architecture. Jonathan Meades and Ian Sinclair in Conversation was the title of the seminar I attended at the Main Lecture Theatre, Headington Campus. This was the first time I participated in a talk held in such a fashion. It truly would be a new, alternative way to present academic discussion. The content of the talk itself was interesting, even if I was not quite knowledgeable about the recent English writers. But what I would certainly share later with my students and colleagues at Sanata Dharma University was reading the works of Thomas Hardy and other (classic) English authors in a new light. This talk convinced me further about the possible dialogue between Architecture and Literature by bringing together issues or even diversity in thinking about the two disciplines in which they may engage and interact with each other. The questions and answers raised during the talk also informed me more about what Design really means to the respective fields.
I was also fortunate to meet Dr Eóin Flannery, Reader in Irish Literature and the Director of Oxford Brookes Centre for Modern and Contemporary Poetry. This meeting was made possible through the contact done for me by Dr. Brigitte Piquard to the Head of Department of English and Modern Languages who subsequently referred me to Dr. Flannery, given our similar interest in Postcolonial Literature. I met Dr. Flannery on Monday, 11th March, 2013 and we discussed about possible collaboration between Department of English and Modern Languages, Oxford Brookes University and the Graduate Program of English Language Studies, Sanata Dharma University in the form of joint conference and/or procurement of keynote speaker(s). I also obtained a lot of useful information and new knowledge, especially about Dr. Flannery’s own current research on postcolonial ecocriticism, which is quite relevant too to the Indonesian situation right now with the issue of deforestation and urban development that has systematically sidelined the poor and ordinary people, especially women.
My brief time in Brookes University as an Erasmus Mundus Scholar was definitely beneficial and informative to me. It was my hope that the same is true to the new people and friends with whom I interacted. Academically, CENDEP at the School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University had provided me with more than sufficient means to work with ease, i.e. a furnished room with PC, internet, printer, desk and chair, as well as stationary as needed.
Access to the library collection was yet another gift. The staff card was useful as to give me access to Bodleian library – a place any literature scholars or enthusiasts should visit while in Oxford.
But above all, it was the human resources that made my stay enjoyable. Lecturing staffs, administrative staffs, household staffs and students here were welcoming and very helpful to visitors from foreign countries. Most of them were quick to stand up and approach the new comers to say hello – a nice gesture to make me feel even more comfortable.
As for my social, cultural or spiritual activities, I was able to participate in the activities offered by Oxford Brookes University Catholic Chaplaincy. The Chaplaincy Room at the Helena Kennedy Student Centre, Headington Hill Campus, was a nice place to meet and share ideas with fellow Christians. Many of them were students but I also met some (administrative) staff, regular visitors even a Pastor from the Methodist Church when we attended Mass every Thursday at 12.15. We had our group reading afterward. During my 4-week stay, the group is studying Abiding: The Archbishop of Canterbury Lent Book 2013 to discuss and make personal reflection thereafter. The Chaplain, Fr. Prem Fernando, was very welcoming and attentive to hear confessions, consultation or merely a chat with the participants.
I need to mention here that the university’s arrangement especially through Dr. Brigitte Piquard and Ms. Kate Angus for my stay in Brookes was excellent, without which I would have found difficulties in both my academic as well as social life. I was referred to a good homestay run by Mr. William Turner of Homestay Oxford that has been known by the university. I enjoyed my stay with the family of Alan Morgan and his wife Lorraine in 25 Wood Farm, Headington, Oxford, OX 38PP. The lively and pleasant dinner conversation with the family greatly enriched my knowledge and understanding about the British culture.
Should there be any regret, it must be the too short a visit and the cold weather. I departed UK on 26 March 2013, determined to treasure and cherish my whirlwind experience.
The question is now what to do after the short UK stint?
Indeed, from a personal perspective, I found the EMA2 Lot 11 Asia Regional a helpful program in two main ways. First, it provided me with the time and opportunity to meet and talk with scholars from diverse disciplines, to learn more about efficient and sophisticated management, infrastructure and facilities of the Oxford Brookes University in particular, as well as those of the UK (Oxford) in general. Second, having seen and learned from the above experience, I have the chance to think more deeply about the contrasting situation back home; hence, I will be able to suggest more on some areas for improvement in Indonesia.
My affiliation to CENDEP will further encourage the promotion and development of interdisciplinary studies at Sanata Dharma University which has several centres, but some of which are fairly dormant for some reasons. The Anjani Centre of Media, Women and Culture, for example, is recently inactive when some lecturers involved in the centre temporarily left for further studies. Interdepartmental collaboration could have been made to solve the problem. My experience of seeing and learning from the vibrant activities at CENDEP is useful in this regard. I have seen that CENDEP brings together Anthropologists, Architects, Statistician, Lawyers, Gender Specialists, and many others. This insight will be of particular use for me to pass on to my colleagues to revive the Anjani Centre. In order to do so, I have made a number of new contacts that I will develop further to ensure that this learning experience is maintained. Future collaborations with CENDEP (or any departments in Brookes University) can be established in the form of visits, co-hosting of international conferences, collaborative research grant application, co-authored journal articles, co-supervision of graduate students, etc. Sanata Dharma University warmly welcomes CENDEP/Brookes students for their internship, summer study abroad, fieldworks, and many other activities.
I am now in touch with Dr. Brigitte Piquard. She kindly attempts to arrange some follow-up activities to my visit to Brookes by thinking through our joint-research, co-authored papers, possible long-term research on the paradigm shift of feminist thinking in postcolonial countries, to mention but three. All these are intellectually challenging and thus give positive impacts on my academic and personal life alike. Thus being said, I sincerely thank Dr. Piquard for her hospitality and kindness.
Finally, I would like to thank the European Community Mobility Program for the opportunity to visit the UK as the Erasmus Mundus Scholar (EMA2 Lot 11 Asia Regional). It was indeed a valuable experience and rewarding opportunity for me. My gratitude also goes to Dr. Matt Gaskin, Head of School of Architecture and Prof. David Sanderson, Director of CENDEP for hosting me. I shall thank all lecturing and administrative staffs, fellow (visiting) scholars and students for having given me warm welcome and support during my stay in Oxford Brookes University.