BATUGEDE (24,25/11/2025)– International research team comprising scholars from UNWIRA and ISFIT convened with the local community in Batugede this Monday to launch a significant study on cross-border social cohesion.
The research initiative is centered around the theme: “Building Bridges: In Illo Uno Unum at the RI-RDTL Border”
The primary mission of this collaboration is to identify the fundamental values of sensus communis (shared community understanding) that sustain life in the borderlands between the Republic of Indonesia (RI) and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL).
Specifically, the team is investigating:
Cultural Heritage: The shared traditions that exist on both sides of the border.
Customary Law (Lisan): How traditional rules and customs regulate social interactions.
Community Values: The unwritten rules and shared sentiments that bind the border
Following the initial open dialogue with the general community on Monday, the research team proceeded to the next phase of the study the following day.
This second phase involved in-depth interviews with key informants (narasumber), including community elders and cultural leaders. These sessions were designed to deepen the academic understanding of how these “common sense” values are practically applied in the daily lives of the Batugede people, looking beyond political boundaries to find human unity.