Umar Kayam (30 April 1932 – 16 March 2002) was an Indonesian
sociologist and writer.
Biography
He began his education at the
Hollandsch-Inlandsche School
Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS) (Dutch school for natives) was a school during the Dutch colonial era in Indonesia. The school, was first established in 1914, following with the enactment of the Dutch Ethical Policy
The Dutch Ethical Polic ...
(HIS) in
Surakarta, where his father also taught. He continued his education at a MULO (
Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs
Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs ( Dutch, "more advanced primary education") was during part of the twentieth century a level of education in the Netherlands (and the Dutch East Indies), comparable with the junior high school level in the US educati ...
), then continued studying language at a high school in
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
until 1951. He graduated from the Faculty of Education at
Gadjah Mada University
Gadjah Mada University ( jv, ꦈꦤꦶꦥ꦳ꦼꦂꦱꦶꦠꦱ꧀ꦓꦗꦃꦩꦢ; id, Universitas Gadjah Mada, abbreviated as UGM) is a Public university, public research university located in Sleman Regency, Sleman, Yogyakarta (special region) ...
in 1955, received a M.A. from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
in 1963, and was awarded his Ph.D. from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
in 1965.
He was appointed director general of radio, television, and film in the
Ministry of Information, a position which he held until 1969, when he began to serve as chairman of the (1969–1972). He served as a director for the Social Studies Training Centre at the
Hasanuddin University
Hasanuddin University ( id, Universitas Hasanuddin) which is abbreviated as Unhas, is one of the largest autonomous universities in Indonesia. It is located in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Unhas was established on September 10, 1956, and ...
in
Makassar (1975–1976) and as a member of the MPRS (
People's Consultative Assembly). He was a lecturer at the
University of Indonesia
The University of Indonesia ( id, Universitas Indonesia, abbreviated as UI) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the D ...
and a senior fellow at the
East-West Center
East West (or East and West) may refer to:
*East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture
Arts and entertainment
Books, journals and magazines
*''East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salma ...
in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
(1973). He was a chairman of the National Film Council, a senior professor in the Faculty of Letters at the
Gadjah Mada University
Gadjah Mada University ( jv, ꦈꦤꦶꦥ꦳ꦼꦂꦱꦶꦠꦱ꧀ꦓꦗꦃꦩꦢ; id, Universitas Gadjah Mada, abbreviated as UGM) is a Public university, public research university located in Sleman Regency, Sleman, Yogyakarta (special region) ...
and an emeritus professor at that same university until his death. A member of the advisory board of ''
Horison
''Horison'' (''Horizon'') was a monthly literary magazine in Indonesia.
History and profile
''Horison'' was founded in 1966 and originally run by the Indonesian Foundation (Yayasan Indonesia). The first issue of the magazine was published on July ...
'' magazine, chairman of the and a member of the , a lifetime position since his appointment in 1988.
Umar Kayam was an innovator in many aspects of his life. When he was a student at Gadjah Mada University, he was one of the founders of the campus theater.
When he was the general director of radio and television, he was credited with helping to make the Indonesian film industry competitive. As the chairman of the Jakarta Arts Council (1969–1972), he was known for conducting meetings that addressed modern art and traditional art forms. He developed a sociological study of Indonesian literature and introduced the "
grounded theory
Grounded theory is a systematic methodology that has been largely applied to qualitative research conducted by social scientists. The methodology involves the construction of hypotheses and theories through the collecting and analysis of data. G ...
" to Indonesian social research. All of this provided inspiration for the emergence of new creative works in the fields of literature, art and art performances, among other things.
He was the author of many short stories, novels, essays and children's stories, of which many are available in English. In 1987 he won the
S.E.A. Write Award.
Personal life
Kayam was married to his wife, former
''Femina'' journalist Yus Kayam, until his death. Yus survived him until her death in Jakarta on 3 August 2021.
Nino Kayam, singer and songwriter known for his work with pop group
RAN
Ran, RaN and ran may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ran'' (film), a 1985 film directed by Akira Kurosawa
* "Ran" (song), a 2013 Japanese song by Luna Sea
* '' Ran Online'', a 2004 MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game)
* ...
, is his grandson.
Publications
*
*
*
*
* Won the prize Yayasan Buku Utama Department of Education and Health, in 1995)
*
*
* Eneste, Pamusuk (2001). Buku pintar sastra Indonesia : biografi pengarang dan karyanya, majalah sastra, penerbit sastra, penerjemah, lembaga sastra, daftar hadiah dan penghargaan. Jakarta: Penerbit Buku Kompas halaman 249. .
*
*
References
External links
Umar KayamAlasan Umar Kayam Mau Jadi SoekarnoUmar Kayam's BooksPrtal Resmi Provinsi DKI Jakarta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kayam, Umar
Indonesian sociologists
People from Ngawi Regency
Indonesian writers
1932 births
2002 deaths
Gadjah Mada University alumni