Dr. Riwanto Tirtosudarmo is an independent researcher, having previously had a distinguished career as a senior researcher in sociology and demography at LIPI (now BRIN), Jakarta.

He’s currently researching intercultural/multicultural diversity studies at Boston University. His research project aims to examine the appropriateness and effects over time of adapting Western sociological concepts in a post-colonial country such as Indonesia. He intends for his research collaboration with a scholar at Boston University to result in a co-authored book that will contribute to the ongoing discourse on whether there are universal categories and concepts in the social sciences and humanities.

Dr. Riwanto earned his bachelor’s degree in social psychology from Universitas Indonesia and his master’s and doctorate in social demography from Australian National University.