Sarasehan Selasa Legen ke-119

The Java War (1825–1830), led by Prince Diponegoro, was one of the most decisive events in the history of Java and colonial Indonesia. From this war, Diponegoro has often been positioned as the figure of the “Ratu Adil” (Just King), symbolizing resistance, collective hope, and the suffering of the common people under colonialism.

Diponegoro is frequently placed at the intersection of religious–cultural–political dimensions: a Javanese nobleman who articulated spiritual ethos and social morality in the context of anti-colonial resistance. On the other hand, the idea of Ratu Adil—which lives on in prophecies, revelations, and messianic discourses—has repeatedly emerged as a symbolic energy that mobilized public imagination. Both are interrelated yet also prone to simplification. Now, exactly 200 years after the Java War, the imagination of the Ratu Adil figure continues to persist throughout history.

The 119th Selasa Legen Discussion Forum of Semarang State University (UNNES) adopts the theme “200 Years of the Java War: Diponegoro and the Myth of Ratu Adil”, held on Monday, September 15, 2025. The forum will take place at UNNES Cultural Village from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. The speakers are Dr. Sri Margana, lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta; and Mukhamad Shokheh, Ph.D., lecturer in History, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UNNES. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Widodo, lecturer in Javanese Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, UNNES.

The forum is open to the public and free of charge.