Staff
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Professional Background
I hold a PhD in Social Anthropology from the Australian National University. I am interested in identity politics and Islamic activism in Indonesia including Islamic economy. I have conducted research on local identity politics, and social and economic development in Sumatra of Indonesia. I have used case study methodology and multi-sited fieldwork and examined the impact of uneven socio-economic development upon regionalism and national unity of Indonesia as demonstrated by my publications from internationally reputable university publishers. I have edited two books, Beyond Jakarta (2002) and The Politics of the Periphery in Indonesia: Geographical and Social Perspectives (In Press), both of which are collections of case studies on newly galvanised local patronages and power dynamics in regional areas of Indonesia as a result of regional autonomy.
Another project I am working on is the rise of regionalism and transnational identity in Southeast Asia. I am currently completing newly-revived connections between Sumatran and Malaysian political and cultural leaders in my sole-authored manuscript titled Greater Malay Dreams: Social and Economic Development across Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Linked to this, I am also undertaking research on the development of Islamic economy and Islamism as an important agent of change in decentralised Indonesia.
My research has been supported by nine competitive university grants, two fellowships from leading universities (Cornell University, National University of Singapore). Currently I have two research grants as below:
- Capacity Building for the Islamic Microfinance Providers for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Indonesia, with Prof. Kacung Marijan, Australia Indonesia Governance Research Partnership ($60,000)
- Creating a New Indonesia: Region and Religion as Agents of Change, Silver Star Grant, University of New South Wales ($20,000)
Courses Taught
- Contemporary Muslim Identity
- The Anthropology of the Malay Indonesian Archipelago
- All levels of Indonesian Language and Culture
Research Interests / Projects
Anthropology of Indonesia, Islamism, regional autonomy, Islamic economy, social movements, development, Malay Islamic identity.
Consulting / Professional Activities
I have conducted consultancy work for the Attorney General’s office on the rise of Islamism in local politics of Indonesia.
In 2007, I served as the Secretary for the Committee for the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) Presidents’ Prize for the Best Asian Studies doctoral thesis in Australian universities.
I have been convening the Asia-Pacific Seminar Series at UNSW at ADFA campus
Publications
Edited Volumes
In Press (accepted 11 February 2008) The Politics of the Periphery in Indonesia: Geographical and Social Perspectives, co-edited with John Walker and Glenn Banks, National University of Singapore Press, Singapore, due 2008.
2002 Beyond Jakarta: Regional Autonomy and Local Society in Indonesia. Adelaide: Crawford House Publishing.
Book Chapters and Journal articles
In Press (accepted 14 Feb 06) ‘Reviving Malay Connections in Globalised Southeast Asia’ in Huhua Cao and Elizabeth Morrell (eds), Developing Regional Minorities: Challenges for the Future in East and Southeast Asia, Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, due 2008.
In Press (accepted 7 March 2008) ‘Assisting Community (umat) Development through Islamic Microfinancing (BMT): Serving the Community Needs in a Viable Way, in Greg Fealy and Sally White (eds), Islamic Life and Politics, ISEAS Press, due 2008.
In Press (accepted 11 Feb 08) ‘Becoming a Malay and Looking beyond the Melaka Straits: Sumatran Malay Identity Politics in a Decentralised Indonesia’ in Minako Sakai, John Walker and Glenn Banks (eds), The Politics of the Periphery in Indonesia: Geographical and Social Perspectives, National University of Singapore Press, due 2008.
2006 ‘Reconfiguring Regions and Challenging the State? New Socio-Economic Partnerships in the Outer Islands of Indonesia’, with Elizabeth Morrell, in Vickers, Adrian, and Margaret Hanlon (eds). 2006. Asia Reconstructed: Proceedings of the 16th Biennial Conference of the ASAA, 2006, Wollongong, Australia. Canberra: Asian Studies Association of Australia & Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/ASAA/biennial-conference/2006/Sakai-M+Morrell-E-ASAA2006.pdf
2006 ‘Modernisasi Tempat Suci di Sumatera Selatan: Islamisasi Tempat Nenek Moyang Gumai’, in Chamber Loir and Anthony Reid (eds), Kuasa Leluhur: Nenek Moyang, Orang Suci, dan Pahlawan di Indonesia Kontemporer. Medan: Bina Media Perintis. pp. 194-219.
2006 ‘Environment, Overview’, Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, Volume 4, Suad Joseph (general editor), Brill Academic Publications. pp. 359-364.
2006 ‘The Origin Structure of Kute among the Gumai: an Analysis of an Indigenous Territorial Institution in the Highlands of South Sumatra’, in Thomas Reuter (ed), Sharing the Earth, Dividing the Land. E Press. The Australian National University. pp. 39-64.
2003 ‘Privatisation of the State-owned Padang Cement Company: Regional Identity and Economic Hegemony in Indonesia’s New Era of Decentralisation’, in Ed Aspinall and Greg Fealy (eds), Local Politics of Indonesia, Singapore: ISEAS Press. pp. 148-163.
2003 ‘Publicising Rituals and Privatising Meanings: Gumai Ritual Practice in South Sumatra’, in Nicola Tannenbaum, and Cornelia Kammerer (eds), Founder’s Cults in Southeast Asia. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 159-183.
2003 Resisting the Mainland: The Formation of the Province of Bangka-Belitung (Babel)’, in Damien Kingsbury, Harry Aveling (eds), Autonomy and Disintegration in Indonesia. London: RoutledgeCurzon. pp. 189-200.
2003 ‘Land Dispute Resolution in Political Reform at the Time of Decentralization in Indonesia’ Indonesian Journal of Social and Cultural Anthropology, XXVI Special Volume (on-line publication)http://www.jai.or.id/jurnal/2002/sv/03ms_sv.pdf pp. 15-32.
Areas of Potential Postgraduate Supervision:
- Malay-Islamic identity politics
- Islamism
- Islamic economy as social movement
- Local patronage networks in decentralised Indonesia.
- I expect social anthropological approaches and case study methodology essential for a PhD project under my supervision.