On October 15, 2024, during the Dean of FISIP’s visit to several universities and locations in Europe, the delegation had the opportunity to meet Prof. Ruth Hanau Santini in Rome. Although she is a lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Naples l’Orientale, Prof. Ruth resides in the heart of Rome, not far from the Colosseum Complex.

The meeting with Prof. Ruth took place at a small bookstore called “Spazio Sette Libreria.” On the second floor of this store, there was a cozy café, commonly used by visitors for reading or discussions. Unfortunately, when the delegation arrived shortly after 8 p.m., the café had already stopped serving coffee. Instead, we ordered tea and juice, featuring unique local varieties. In addition to the café, the third floor of the bookstore houses a spacious room often used for film screenings or book discussions.

Prof. Hanau Santini will be the keynote speaker at one of FISIP Undip’s international events this year, the International Conference on Indonesian Social and Political Enquiries (ICISPE), which will be held on November 4-5, 2024. Prof. Ruth will present her latest book, “Limited Statehood and Informal Governance in the Middle East and Africa”, which she co-edited with Abel Polese and Rob Kevlihan. The book was published by Routledge in 2022.

After the conversation at the bookstore, we continued by walking through Piazza Navona, which was currently undergoing restoration in preparation for the City of Rome’s celebrations in December. In one part of the square stood the ‘Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi,’ a fountain designed by the famous 17th-century sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The meeting concluded with dinner at La Montecarlo Restaurant, where we enjoyed Roman-style pizza with its thin and crusty dough.

Contributor:
Bangkit Aditya Wiryawan