Dr Hikmawan 'Indra' Saefullah

Lecturer in Digital Humanities (Indonesian Focus) - Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education; School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Phone: +61 6773 1399

Email: hsaefull@une.edu.au

Twitter: @hsaefullah8122

Biography

Hikmawan ‘Indra’ Saefullah is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities (Indonesian Focus) at the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, University of New England (UNE). While primarily teaches Indonesian Studies, he also teaches some Political & International Studies and Sociology units. Prior to his current role at UNE, he was teaching Politics and International Relations at several universities in Indonesia, including Padjadjaran University, Parahyangan Catholic University, and President University. His teaching and research interests stem from his involvement in the Indonesian underground music scene and student activism during the Reformasi era (late 1990s and early 2000s). His Ph.D. thesis, titled “Transformations of Youth Resistance: Underground Music Scene and Islamic Politics in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia” (Murdoch University), discusses the transformative nature of youth resistance in responding to precarious social, political, and economic conditions in post-authoritarian Indonesia. It explains why some underground music scene participants that were once known as secular, liberal, and leftist shifted ideologically to Islamic conservatism and right-wing Islamism following the Reformasi and US-led War on Terrorism in the world’s largest Muslim nation. His Ph.D. research has drawn him to a deeper interest in the studies of Indonesian politics, subculture/counterculture, social movement, youth, and Islam, Islamic politics, and Islamism in Indonesia and their connection with the broader Southeast Asia and the Middle East region.

He has worked with various stakeholders including the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he was involved in various public diplomacy missions including a tour across Europe performing Indonesian traditional dance and music, friendly soccer matches, and giving public lectures in South Africa as a part of strengthening Indonesia-South Africa relationship and the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). Indra plays and listens to various types of music, especially loud rock music (punk, hardcore, metal, progressive), and is a Muay Thai enthusiast.

Qualifications

Ph.D. in Politics (Murdoch University, Perth)
M.A. in International Relations (Hons) (Australian National University)
S.IP. or BA in International Relations (Hons) (Padjadjaran University)

Teaching Areas

He previously taught various courses or units in the field of Politics and International Relations, including Introduction to International Relations (FBI02304), Introduction to Political Science (FBI01202), International Culture & Communication (FBI06302), Media and Global Communication (G10B569), Digital Literacy and Communication (IRE104), Political Islam (SHI261), Cyber Diplomacy (G10B408), International Relations in Africa (SHI253 & G10B799), and International Relations in the Middle East and North Africa (G10B502). He currently teaches:

INDN101 Indonesian Language 1A
INDN302 Indonesian Language 3B
INDN330 A History of Indonesian & Its Role in Society
PAIS370/570 Contemporary Political Issues
SOCY356 The State, Power, and Violence

Primary Research Area/s

Indonesian politics and society; Youth and development; Social Movements; Music and censorship; Cultural politics, Subcultures, Countercultures; Islam, Islamic politics & Islamism (and their broader connection with Southeast Asia and the Middle East); Arab Diaspora in Southeast Asia; • Cultures, media, and social change in Indonesia

Publications

Book Chapters:

Saefullah, Hikmawan. 2020. “Jihad Against the Ghazwul Fikri: Actors and Mobilization Strategies of the Islamic Underground Movement.” In the New Santri: Challenges to Traditional Religious Authority in Indonesia, edited by Norshahril Saat and Ahmad Nadjib Burhani, 316-349. Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Saefullah, Hikmawan. 2017. “Skena Musik Underground, Agama, dan Politik Islam di Indonesia” [Underground Music Scene, Religion, and Political Islam in Indonesia]. In Trialektika: Agama-Budaya-Politik, edited by Alfathri Adlin, 333-352. Bandung: Penerbit Matahari and Yayasan Salman ITB.

Journal Articles:

Saefullah, Hikmawan. 2022. "'More than Just Devotion': The Conservative Turn Among Subcultural Muslim Youths in the Indonesian Underground Music Scene." Muslim Politics Review 1, No. 2 (2022): 117-152. https://journal.uiii.ac.id/index.php/mpr/article/view/58
Saefullah, Hikmawan. 2022. "Subkultur dan Perlawanan Anak Muda Underground" [Subhculture and Underground Youth Resistance]. Prisma: Jurnal Pemikiran Sosial Ekonomi 41, No. 3 (2022): 103-114. http://prismajurnal.com/article/subkultur-dan-transformasi-perlawanan-anak-muda-underground/
Saefullah, Hikmawan. 2017. “Nevermind the Jahiliyyah, here’s the Hijrahs: Punk and the Religious Turn in the Contemporary Indonesian Underground Scene.” Punk & Post-Punk 6, No. 2 (2017): 263-289. https://doi.org/10.386/punk.6.2.263_1.
Saefullah, Hikmawan. 2015. “Ancaman Syiah, Persepsi dan Wacana Kontra Revolusi” [The Shia Threat, Perception, and Counter Revolution]. Maarif: Arus Pemikiran Islam dan Sosial, 10, No. 2 (2015): 18-30. ISSN: 907-8161. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343278974_Ancaman_Syiah_Persepsi_dan_Wacana_Kontra_Revolusi.
Saefullah, Hikmawan. 2011. “Democratisation in the Arab World and the Promotion of Indonesian Democracy Model: A Critical Assessment.” Jurnal Diplomasi 3, No. 2 (2011). https://onesearch.id/Record/IOS4250.slims-32676.