Manse Nsae Research Center

The Manse Nsae Research Center has been set up by the Divine Word Missionaries, Timor Province in Indonesia, in responding to the needs of social and cultural studies in the context of Indonesia in general and East Nusa Tenggara in particular. The name of this center, Manse Nsae, is taken from Uab Meto, one of the Timorese languages, which means the rising sun.

The Manse Nsae Research Center is located in Kupang, the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia. This center also produces the "Lia Dadolin" journal and the serial book of "Agenda Budaya Pulau Timor", both edited by Dr Gregor Neonbasu SVD.

Having this center is indeed urgent as far as the study of East Nusa Tenggara cultures is concerned. Based upon its mission, this center is committed to study the richness of cultures in East Nusa Tenggara. Moreover, the Manse Nsae Research Center aims to be a place and forum for social and cultural reflections through interdisciplinary seminars, conferences, discussions and publications. For this purpose, this center develops as well a strategic networking with various research centers such as Anthropos Institute, Candraditya, Aditya Wacana, STFK Ledalero, UNIKA Widya Mandira and publishing houses such as Gramedia and Grasindo, Kanisius and Nusa Indah.

Leading experts on the East Nusa Tenggara studies in the fields of anthropology, sociology, missiology, theology and ethnology have also been consulted for the development of the center. Prof James J. Fox (Australian National University, Australia), Prof Jozef Glinka SVD (Airlangga University, Indonesia), Prof Joachim Piepke SVD (Anthropos Institute, Germany), Dr Ennio Mantovanni SVD (Anthropos Institute, Germany), Dr Andrew McWilliam (Australian National University, Australia), Dr Guido Tisera SVD (Rome) and Dr Susanne Rodemeier (Passau University, Germany) are among them. Publication is also one of the center's aims. Therefore, some leading experts in the media studies and publication such as Dr Daniel Dhakidae (Kompas, Indonesia), Frans M. Parera (Gramedia, Jakarta) and Rikard Bangun (Kompas, Jakarta) have participated as well in pioneering this center.

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