Dr. phil. Geger Riyanto is a social anthropologist focusing on Indonesian socio-cultural studies, particularly regarding indigeneity, intergroup relations, and resource frontiers in eastern Indonesia. He completed his doctoral studies at Universität Heidelberg, Germany, with a dissertation that received an award from the Frobenius Institute. His research examines how identity, power relations, and local history operate within the context of resource frontiers and social conflict. In addition to academic publications, Geger actively writes opinion pieces in popular media to bridge anthropology with contemporary public discourse. He is committed to strengthening public anthropology in Indonesia through a combination of in-depth research, critical reflection, and social engagement.
Profile and Research Interests
Education
- Bachelor in Sociology, Universitas Indonesia (2008)
- Master in Anthropology, Universitas Indonesia (2015)
- PhD in Anthropology, Universität Heidelberg, Germany (2022)
Selected Publications
- Riyanto, G. (2025). Indigeneity as a sphere of differences: State enclosure and counter-enclosure of rural spaces in Indonesia. Anthropological Theory, 0(0), 1-25.
- Riyanto, G. (2024). From Bizarre Encounters to Native Strangeness: Indigenous Otherness and Insider-Outsider Interactions in Indonesia. Critical Asian Studies, 56(1), 137–153.
- Riyanto, Geger. (2024). “Mocking While Working With Problematic Representations: The Irony of Ethnographic Sensibility in Indonesia.” Anthropology and Humanism 49 (1): 25–32.
- Riyanto, G. (2023). Beyond Sedentary Bias: An Ethnographic Reflection of Deforestation in Seram, Eastern Indonesia. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 24(4), 312–316.
- Riyanto, G. (2022). Suspicion and Overlapping Orders of Precedence: Imagining Secret History in Founder-Focused Societies of Eastern Indonesia. Oceania, 92: 213-228.
Courses
- Social Organization and Kinship Systems;
- Classical Anthropological Theory
- Religion and Magic in Anthropology
- Ethnography of Indigeneity
