The Newsletter 95 Summer 2023

News from Australia and the Pacific

Edwin JurriënsCathy Harper

Media of Religious Morality in Indonesia

For News from Australia and the Pacific, we ask contributors to reflect on their own research and the broader academic field in Australia and the Pacific, of which it is a part. Our contributions aim to give a select overview of Asia-related studies in Australia and beyond, and to highlight exciting intellectual debates on and with Asia.

In the current edition, we focus on the theme of “Media of Religious Morality in Indonesia.” Our authors demonstrate how mediated forms of religious morality shape fundamental aspects of people’s everyday lives, working conditions, education, national identity, gender, and sexuality. The information, communication, and entertainment media they discuss range from books (Millie) and films (Wejak and Winarnita) to apps (Yasih and Hadiz), and social media (Husein). Some of these media also function as platforms to reflect on and criticise the far-reaching social and political role and impact of religious morality in contemporary Indonesia.