Ulwan Fakhri, SPEL Alumnus Who Works As A Humor Researcher In IHIK3 (photo source: Pipit Aprilia R/Koridor)
Humor maybe can be found in our everyday life. But, researching humor in Indonesia still has gaps that need to be filled. This is the primary motivation of Ulwan Fakhri, an alumnus of the Study Programme of English Literature Faculty of Cultural Studie Universitas Brawijaya, to become a humor researcher. He has worked as a humor researcher in Institut Humor Indonesia Kini (IHIK3) since 2020.
The story of how he became a humor researcher draws back from when he did his thesis in 2019. At that time, he faced difficulties in finding books about humor. Then he found information about a newly launched The Library of Humor Studies in Cikini. He wrote an email to the library in the hope to get help for his thesis reference. He then got permission to access the library and frequently went to the library for 4 days.
On the last day of his visit to the library, he was asked by Danny Septriadi, one of the IHIK3 founders, to join IHIK3 and challenged him to create research from the library collection based on his discipline. Then when he finished his thesis, he was asked to be a full-time employee of IHIK3.
Ulwan said that working in IHIK3 has given him meaning in his life. He is able to work and learn at the same time. He was once asked by Danny Septriadi to join Association for American Therapeutic Humor (AATH) class to figure out the relationship between humor and therapy. Through the class, he gained knowledge that therapy is not always conducted by psychiatry but also by people who have humor as their occupation. The class allows its participant to be graduated, and the participants are also given certificates.
Ulwan also highlights his concern about the gaps in humor research in Indonesia. He said that people seldom study humor because they underestimate the importance of humor in knowledge. Ulwan tells a story about when he helped some communication science and philosophy students to discuss humor in their thesis. Ulwan gave his opinions and references in humor. Sadly, sometime later, those students’ theses were rejected because the supervisors feel that the topic of humor is not scientific enough. Whereas, according to Ulwan, the value of humor in academics is increasingly rising every year.
Through his contribution to IHIK3, Ulwan does not only produce articles about humor in Indonesia. But also, helps IHIK3 to develop the knowledge of humor, scientifically, as he believes that the purpose of humor is not only for entertainment but also for other purposes such as to influence students’ resilience. Ulwan in his humor journey in IHIK3 is also able to collaborate with Indonesian senior humor figures, such as Jarwo Kwat as the leader of PaSKI, Indro Warkop, Miing, and Tarzan. Together with IHIK3, they created an Indonesian humor encyclopedia. (aaz)
News Source: https://koridor.co.id/rehat/perkenalkan-ulwan-fakhri-yang-mendedikasikan-diri-sebagai-periset-humor-ia-yakin-profesi-ini-akan-semakin-tumbuh-signifikan/
