Ngopi as Methodology: Reclaiming Indonesian Practices for Knowledge Co-Creation

This paper proposes Ngopi —the culturally embedded practice of informal coffee gatherings—as a decolonial methodology for qualitative research in the Indonesian context. Grounded in everyday social interactions, Ngopi offers a space for organic, trust-based conversations that reflect local ways of knowing, sharing, and co-creating knowledge. Unlike Western extractive models of data collection that often impose rigid researcher-participant boundaries, Ngopi operates through relationality, fluidity, and mutual exchange. As a decolonial approach, it challenges dominant paradigms by centering a culturally embedded practice within Indonesia and honoring the lived experiences, language, and social rhythms of participants. Through Ngopi , this paper argues for a methodological shift that not only reclaims local traditions of knowledge-making but also repositions them as legitimate, rigorous, and vital in the landscape of global research practices.