On July 23, 2020, International Program of Communication Science Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) and Uniicoms TV invited Professor Chen and Dr. Masduki in The Annual Globalization Workshop (AGW) with the theme “The Future Globalization.” This workshop is the inaugural workshop program organized by the International Program of Communication UII. The theme raised in this inaugural workshop is to preparing students to encounter the globalization era after the covid-19 pandemic that swept across all parts of the world. The annual workshop that was held live, through google meet, was attended by a number of lecturers and students of IP Communication Science UII. The workshop was also attended by students from various countries such as students from Universiti Utara Malaysia.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Huey Rong Chen as the first guest was an associate professor in the Department of Journalism, Chinese Culture University, Taiwan. And Dr. rer soc. Masduki, M.Si., M.A as the second guest is a senior lecturer in UII. The both speakers will deliver topics about globalization and reflectivity of globalization in seeking dialogical transformation after the pandemic. The workshop was also guided by Herman Felani from Department of Communication Science, Universitas Islam Indonesia.
In the first hour, the workshop was filled with an explanation of Covid-19 pandemic vs globalization delivered by Dr. rer soc. Masduki, M.Si., M.A. He began his presentation by presenting a question about how globalization was during this pandemic when the world is temporary closed. As a communication observer, he explained that Covid-19 has multiple code besides health issue. When we talk about Covid-19 in Indonesia during the last three months, he believes that it is related to at least four different topics. Politics of communication blunders, contestation of economic recovery, disruption of lifestyle as end of mobility, and revisiting the notion of ‘globalization’ as way of life.
Through the explanation, he trying to correlate Covid-19 with the politics of communication blunders and contestation of economic recovery. He also paid attention to the disruption of lifestyle as end of mobility between Indonesia and other countries, or between a particular province in Indonesia to the other province. Referring to the words of Jan Blommaert, a sociologist who said that Covid-19 is a good example of globalization process.
Masduki agreed that Covid-19 was a challenging topic to explain how globalization became a way of life. He explained from an economic perspective, that in summary, globalization can also be saved by worldwide movement throughout economic financial communication and threat integration. Moreover, he said that globalization should be about the transmission of ideas values and meaning across the world. And in some cases, it also about the decline of the nation like identity as Islamic religious people.
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Author and Reporter: Fitriana Ramadhany, Student internship of Department of Communication Science, UII. Batch 2016
Editor: A. Pambudi W