Much of Indonesian news is recently filled with controversies regarding Indonesian history, and critical thinking has become more important than ever before - especially for the Indonesian diaspora. When the new, government-edited history books become the only ones available, critical thinking may be our only way to truly understand our past.

This is a recap on the first Sagonese Dialogue Series: “Indigenous Social Movements, Commodification, and Climate Justice in 21st-century North Sumatra.” Held in hybrid format, online and on campus at the University of Göttingen (Foyer International), 18 October 2025. The session features Tongam Panggabean (PhD Candidate in Sociology of Globalization, Hochschule Fulda, former Director of Bakumsu) and is moderated by Sekar Yunita (PhD Candidate in Forest Economics and Sustaina