Jeremy Kingsley

The University of Melbourne, Australia
Exchange to Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Indonesia

Currently I am in Indonesia undertaking a research programme on intercommunal engagement and conflict resolution in Mataram, Lombok. This research is facilitated by funding from the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Fellowship. I have been here for two months and will be here for several more.

My research programme involves undertaking cooperative research with colleagues from the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) Mataram. This project aims to develop legal and non-legal frameworks to avoid conflict between the Muslim, Balinese and Christian Chinese communities in Mataram.

Mataram is a multicultural community which experienced significant inter-communal violence in 2000. However, since these tragic events the communities have been working hard with local and national authorities to develop means to resolve any disputes between groups without violence.

The personal benefits of this programme relate not just to the research, but in the cross-cultural learning and engagement. You often learn more from an incidental conversation on a street corner than anything in a formal classroom and this has been my experience here. Often these small discussions have illuminated circumstances and issues that face Mataram.

This research programme will hopefully allow for the development of dispute resolution tools with broader application in Indonesia (and elsewhere in Southeast Asia).

The research I am conducting here is part of my doctoral studies at the Faculty of Law, University of Melbourne where I am also a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam as well as the Principle Research Assistant at the Asian Law Centre.

The support of the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Fellowship has greatly assisted my development as a scholar and policy analyst.

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