Dr. Usep Abdul Matin, Senior Lecturer - Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Indonesia
Home Country: Indonesia
Project Title: The Role of the University in Indonesia's Islamic Public Sphere: The Jalaluddin Rakhmat's Ph.D. Dispute
The proposed research under this program intends to elaborate on Chapter VII.c. of his doctoral dissertation. In particular, this chapter discusses the fact that in 2009, Jalaluddin Rakhmat, an Indonesian prominent Shi`ite Muslim intellectual, enrolled as a doctoral student at the Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN/State Islamic University) Alauddin in Makassar, East Indonesia. Although the university was sympathetic to him, his enrollment caused controversy. Rakhmat deliberately elected a controversial dissertation topic, and predictably it attracted criticisms and protests along the Sunnite-Shi`ite divide in a predominantly Sunnite Indonesia. Development and elaboration of Chapter VII.c will inform his research by explaining further the role of the university in Indonesia’s Islamic public sphere: The Jalaluddin Rakhmat’s Ph.D. dispute.
Duke Faculty Associate & Affiliation: Engseng Ho, Cultural Anthropology
Grant Start Date: September 1, 2019
Grant End Date: February 29, 2020
Members of the Duke community are encouraged to reach out to the scholars for guest lectures or other forms of academic collaboration. Dr. Usep Abdul Matin's email is usep.matin@duke.edu.
