Dr Hikmawan 'Indra' Saefullah

Biography

Before joining UNE’s Philosophy and Studies in Religion in 2026, holding a new role as a Lecturer in Politics and Extremism, I was a Lecturer in Digital Humanities (Indonesian Focus), teaching in Indonesian Studies units, and across disciplines of Humanities and Social Sciences in HASS, UNE, particularly Sociology, Political and International Studies, and Peace Studies. I obtained my PhD in Politics from Murdoch University, an MA in International Relations (Hons) from the Australian National University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (S.IP.) specialising in International Relations from Padjadjaran University, Indonesia. I held teaching, research, and administrative roles in Indonesian universities and Australian research centre, including Padjadjaran University, Parahyangan Catholic University, President University, Murdoch University (Asia Research Centre/now Indo-Pacific Research Centre), and the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII).

My academic interests are inseparable from the worlds I was part of—as a rock musician in Indonesia’s underground scene, a student activist during the Reformasi era (1996–2002), and someone shaped by both formal and informal Islamic education and movements. I wrote my PhD thesis, Transformations of Youth Resistance: Underground Music Scene and Islamic Politics in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia, exploring the intersections of subcultures, social movements, youth activism, cultural resistance, and critical political economy to explain the ideological shifts of some subcultural Muslim youths from secular left radicalism to conservative right-wing Islamism within the context of post-Suharto Indonesia and the US-led global War on Terror.

For more than two decades, since the mid-1990s, I played in various punk, skapunk, alternative, and post-hardcore/Emo bands. As co-founder and guitarist of Alone At Last, I composed several songs featured on the band’s albums Sendiri Vs. Dunia E.P (2004), Jiwa (2008), and Integriti (2012). Even though I have stepped back from performing, music still shapes how I understand and question my place in academia, society, culture, and the ever-shifting political worlds I move through.