Islam, Conflict, and Political Transformation in Southeast Asia

This books explores several dimensions of conflict and transformation in Southeast Asian Islam, with a particular focus on the largest Islamic country in the region, Indonesia, based on a diverse range of in-depth case studies that engage local, national, regional, global and digital perspectives. These dimensions include but are not limited to forms and patterns of conflicts between Islam and local culture; conflicts between Islam and other groups of believers; conflicts between Islam and the state; and how these conflicts have changed over time. It also includes discussions relating to how Muslim figures, organizations, and groups in Southeast Asia have responded to conflicts, and the extent to which the conflicts have led to the consolidation of democratic society and civic governance. Moreover, with the rise and proliferation of digital media practices among various communities of believers in Southeast Asia, a special space is given to discuss how media and mediation practices could change the dynamics and complexity of a religious conflict, and form new strategies for practicing religion in conflict situations. It is intended for academics researching prevailing current issues connected to religion, politics and conflict transformation in Southeast Asia, and beyond.

Dr. Ahmad Suaedy was a Visiting Researcher at the Research Center of Area Studies, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN) for the period of 2022-2023. He is the current Dean of the Faculty of Islam Nusantara, Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Indonesia Jakarta, and a member of the Religious Moderation Team of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion, and also an Expert on Papua program of Vice President of Republic Indonesia. His dissertation was titled Gus Dur, Archipelago Islam and Multicultural Citizenship: papua and Aceh Peaceful Policy 1999-2021 (Gus Dur, Islam Nusantara dan Kewarganegaraan Binka: Perdamaian Papua dan Aceh 1999-2001).   

Dr. James B. Hoesterey is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Emory University (USA). His research focuses broadly on Islam, media, and politics. His first book, Rebranding Islam: Piety, Prosperity, and a Self-Help Guru, chronicled the rise and fall of Indonesian celebrity preacher Aa Gym and was awarded Runner-Up for the Clifford Geertz Book Prize in 2016. Hoesterey is currently working on his second book, Faith in Diplomacy: Indonesia, Soft Power, and the Making of “Moderate Islam.”

Amin Mudzakkir is a senior researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta. Mudzakkir completed a bachelor's degree (2005) in history at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, then a master's (2015) and doctorate (2021) in philosophy at Driyarkara School of Philosophy, Jakarta. His research interests include Islamic social movements, diaspora, feminism, and critical social theory. His most recent book publications are Feminisme Kritis: Gender dan Kapitalisme dalam Pemikiran Nancy Fraser (Critical Feminism: Gender and Capitalism in Nancy Fraser's Thought) (2022) and Kosmopolitanisme Seyla Benhabib (Seyla Benhabib's Cosmopolitanism) (2022).

Ahmad Nuril Huda is a researcher at the Center for Area Studies, Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency. His research mainly focuses on the intersection between religion, media/digital technologies, and youth culture in a Southeast Asian Muslim context. His recent article, The Rise of Cinematic Santri in Post Authoritarian Indonesia, appears in Studia Islamika (2023). He is currently co-editing a book volume on Living the Smart Life? Indonesian Cities in a Time of Digital Transition, planned to be published in 2025 with Leiden University Press.