About the Journal

The name Balian is drawn from a term widely known in the traditions of the Kalimantan and Balinese communities, referring to a figure who serves as a mediator between the spiritual and social worlds, as well as a keeper of knowledge and a restorer of disrupted social order. This philosophy forms the foundation of the identity of Balian: Studi Sosial dan Kemasyarakatan, envisioned as a space that mediates between the various disciplines studying society, as well as between concrete communal issues and research-based solutions.

Balian: Studi Sosial dan Kemasyarakatan is published as a platform for researchers, academics, and practitioners to disseminate social and communal studies that contribute to scholarly development and to a deeper understanding of plural societies across cultures and regions. The journal comprises five thematic clusters: Social Change and Structure; Culture, Identity, and Local Wisdom; Community, Policy, and Social Welfare; Gender, Family, and Social Relations; and Urban-Rural Society, Migration, and Digital Transformation. Among these areas of study, the journal particularly encourages manuscripts addressing the intersection between local knowledge and contemporary social theory as one of its distinguishing contributions. The journal welcomes manuscripts in both Indonesian and English, employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches, and invites cross-disciplinary and cross-national studies that enrich the understanding of communal dynamics.