Researcher

Associate Professor Minako Sakai

My Expertise

International development, disaster recovery, women's economic empowerment, Indonesia, Islam, gender equality, Asia-Pacific 

Fields of Research (FoR)

Anthropology of development, Gender and politics, Islamic studies, Studies of Asian society, Social policy, Humanitarian disasters, conflict and peacebuilding

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Biography

Associate Professor Minako Sakai explores global equitable policies such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on Indonesia as below:

Associate Professor Minako Sakai explores global equitable policies such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on Indonesia as below:

  • Islam, Gender and Development: Women Entrepreneurs and Business Empowerment in Muslim Countries for Gender Equality in Patriarchal Societies
  • Disaster Recovery, Humanitarian Assistance, Climate Change and Community Resilience of the Indo-Pacific Region. 
  • Just Development and Social Innovation: Digital Economy,  Poverty Reduction and Social Protection
  • Gender, Peace and Security in the Indo-Pacific region

Associate Professor Sakai took up research fellowships with the the ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences, ANU College of Asia and Pacific, Cornell University and the National University of Singapore.  She holds a PhD in anthropology from the Australian National University. She teaches in Indonesian Studies and supervises research students in Southeast Asian Social Inquiry at UNSW Canberra.  Currently she is also Deputy Head of School (Research). 


My Grants

Recent Research Grants and International Engagements:

 

  • UNSW Women's Wellbeing Academy Small Grant, Building Back Better: Piloting post-Covid 19 disaster recovery initiatives for gender empowerment (2020) with Felix Tan and Nelia Hyndman-Rizk
  • The Ford Foundation, Indonesia (2018-2020, Muslim Women's Economic Empowerment USD 200,000) in partnership with UIN Jakarta.  
  • Australia-ASEAN Council grant, ‘Fostering Women’s Empowerment through Digital Entrepreneurship’ with Felix Tan, Carmen Leong, Minako Sakai, Wing Wah Tham (2019-2020)
  • UNSW Indonesia Collaborative Research Scheme (2017 $10,000)
  • University of Gadjah Mada, Department of Sociology, FISIP, International Collaborator on Islamic Social Entrepreneurship (2016)   
  • UNSW Faculty Research Silver Start Grant (Islamic Conservatism and Women in Indonesian Economy, 2015-2016, $20,000)
  • The ANU AusAID Indonesian Project Research Grant (with Dr P.Ismalina, UGM). Project title: Building Community Resilience after the Merapi Volcano Disaster, A Case study of State and Private Scheme for Economic Livelihood Recovery Initiatives in Central Java (2013-2014, $15,000.)
  • UNSW Canberra Research Training Scholarship Scheme (to recruit an excellent PhD student under her supervision (with D. Lovell as a co-supervisor). 3-year scholarship with full fees and tuition Project title: The Role of Civil society in Social Development in Contemporary Indonesia (2014-2016, $213,000).
  • UNSW Canberra Special Research Grant, The Role of Civil Society in Enhancing Resilience in the Tohoku Disaster, Japan (2013-2014, $5,630)
  • The Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, academy workshop grant ($7,500, 2010-2011) with Prof. Peter Saunders (SPRC, UNSW)
  • Faith and Social Development in Contemporary Indonesia, Special Research Grant, UNSW, ($10,000, 2010-2011)
  • Civil Society Responses to Social Inequality and Natural Disasters in Japan after the 1990s, HASS Research Grant ($5,000, 2011)
  • Rector-funded Visiting Fellowship for Dr Amelia Fauzia from the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta, Indonesia (2011)
  • Capacity Building for the Islamic Microfinance Providers for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Indonesia with Prof. Kacung Marijan, Australia Indonesia Governance Research Partnership ($60,000, 2008-2009)
  • Creating a New Indonesia: Region and Religion as Agents of Change, Faculty Research Grant (Silver Star Grant), UNSW ($20,000, 2008-2009)

My Qualifications

PhD, Anthropology, The Australian National University


My Awards

2022 The Embassy of Indonesia, Australia, Certificate of Appreciation in Promoting Teaching and Research in Indonesian Studies

 

2021  State Islamic University Jakarta, Women Economic Empowerment Award 


My Research Activities

My earlier research explored the impact of Islamisation upon ethnic identity among Malay-language speaking Gumay people of South Sumatra in Indonesia. My ethnography titled  Kacang Tak Lupa Kulitnya: Identitas Gumay, Islam, dan Merantau di Sumatra Selatan (The Nut Cannot Forget Its Shell) was published by an Indonesian major publisher, Obor to return knowledge to Indonesia since I have  published on these issues in English. 

My interest expanded to examine the impact of Islamisation among middle-class Muslims in Indonesia with a focus on Islamic microfinance, entrepreneurship and community empowerment.  My second book, Penggiat Bisnis Syariah di Indonesia: Muslimah, Kewirausahaan dan Pemperdaayan Masyarakat (Indonesian Syariah Business Activists: Muslim Women, Entrepreneurship and Community Empowerment), was published by  Dompet Dhuafa, Jakarta.  

My third-book titled Women Entrepreneurs and Business Empowerment in Muslim Countries, co-authored with Prof Amelia Fauzia is forthcoming from Palgrave Springer in 2022.  This book analysed how emergent interpretations of Islam in Indonesia have facilitated women to play a main role in the economy, which ultimately impacts upon gender relations in a comparative perspective. 

In addition to these monographs I have published over 50 articles and book chapters on the theme of religion, community and local development issues.

My recent conference presentations as below reflect my research activities. 

 

Recent Keynote Addresses

2021 Invited plenary webinar speaker for Optimalising Islamic Social Entrepreneurship for the Islamic Social Finance and Commercial Sector, held in partnership with UIN Jakarta and Ikatan Alih Ekonomi Islam (IAEI), 8 November 2021.

2021 Invited speaker, Muslim Women’s Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship” Challenges Arising from the Pandemic, International Conference: Pandemic of Humanity, Memory, Creativity and Solidarity, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Islamic State University, Jakarta 13 August 2021.

2021 UNSW Women’s Wellbeing Academy Small Grant Recipient Presentations (11 March)

2020 Invited keynote speaker for the International Seminar on Baitul Maal wat Tamwil (BMTs) Roles and its Opportunities for Improving the Welfare of Micro-Businesses, held in conjunction with the Annual Convention of the Association of Islamic Savings and Credit Cooperatives (BMTs), Indonesia 19 November.

2020 Invited keynote speaker for Universitas Sebelas Maret. Surakarta, Indonesia, FISIP International Seminar about “Covid 19 and Gender Issues: Experiences from Different Countries” on 11 November 2020 from 09.00 to 12.00 WIB.

2020  Invited keynote speaker for Islamisation of the Highlands of South Sumatra: Gumay Community, the 2nd International Seminar on Adab and Humanities (ISAH), Faculty of Adab and Humaniora, The State Islamic University, Palembang, 12 November.  

2020  Invited Plenary Speaker for Community Development: Entrepreneurship and Self-Study Practices. The 8th International Conference on Educational Research and Innovation. OCERI 2020. Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia 4-5 November (Online conference)

2020 Invited Plenary Speaker for a panel titled ‘Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing’ ASEAN Conference, UNSW Sydney, 10 October (online conference).

2020  Invited keynote speaker for Theory and Praxis Anthropology. Social and Religious Research Development, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Ilmu Budaya, Gadjah Mada University, 7 September (online).  https://youtu.be/hg9L7KAjNSo

2020  Invited keynote speaker for Gender Perspective in Disaster Resilience of Covid 19, Gender and Development, Faculty of Creative Design and Digital Business, Department of Development Studies, Institut Teknologi Sepeluh Nopember. 3 June (online).

2019 Invited keynote speaker for Religion, Development and Women Empowerment Workshop, Graduate School, The State Islamic University, Yogyakarta.  5 September.

 

2018  1st International Conference on Multidisciplinary Approaches for Sustainable Rural Development ICMA-SURE, Jend Sudirman University, Purwokerto, Indonesia (Nov)

2018    The The 3rd International Conference on University-Community Engagement (ICON-UCE) 2018, Organised by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, Hosted by the State Islamic University Malang (Oct)

2018    Public Lecture, ‘Women, Community Development and Entrepreneurship in Indonesia’, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences University of Sebelas Maret, Indonesia, Solo (Oct).

2018    International Conference on Reflection on Islamic Studies, ‘Development and Empowerment in Indonesia: Opportunities, Recent Development and Challenges’, State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Solo (Oct)

2018 ‘Fostering Community Resilience by Connectivity between Victims and Supporters in Post-disaster areas in the Asia-Pacific Region’, Plenary Panel Presentation, APRU 14th Multi-Hazards Symposium in Collaboration with the Research School of Earth Sciences, ANU (Oct)

2018  International Conference on Culture and Language in Southeast Asia (ICCLAS) of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta: Contemporary Intercultural Relation Between Islam in Southeast Asia and the Middle East Countries.  State Islamic University, Jakarta (August)

2017 Invited Plenary address. ‘Utilization of Social, Cultural, and Art Assets to Improve the Quality of Life’.  The 5th International Conference on Educational Research and Innovation (ICERI) 2017 in Yogyakarta, Optimizing Educational Research Findings to Improve the Quality of Life. Organised by the Ministry of Research and Technology and Higher Education, and Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta

 

2017 Plenary keynote address, ‘Community Empowerment, Institutional Transformation and Sustainable Economy’. International Conference on Religion, Microfinance and Community Empowerment (ICOFIN) 2017, Department of Islamic Banking and Economics, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, and University Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, July.

 

 

Forums and Workshops Convened (2018-2019) 

June 2019, Organising Committe member, Women in Asian Conference, UNSW Sydney.
April 2019, Workshop on Women's Economic Empowerment with Prof. Naila Kabeer  (co-hosted by Asia-Pacific Development and Security Research Group and IGD) 

November 2018, Urban Resilience in Asia Pacific (URAP), panel co-convenor, UNSW on Climate Security and Community Resilience: Debating Institutional Innovation from the Grassroots  

Oct 2018, One-day Forum Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Asia Pacific at Institute of Global Development UNSW.

July 2018, ASAA, Sydney University.  Panel Convenor and Presentation: Social Innovation and Digital Financial Inclusion for Community Empowerment in Indonesia including two of my HDR students.  My paper was titled ‘Muslim mompreneurs in Indonesia’.

June 2018 HASS Social Sciences Workshop on Women’s Empowerment and Gendered Violence, Workshop Convenor and presentation.

 

International Collaborations: 

I am currently hosting the following Visiting Fellows whose work are concerned with development issues with a focus on the Asia Pacific region:
Dr Amelia Fauzia (State Islamic University, Jakarta)

Dr Rafisah Mat Radzi  (Universiti Sains Malaysia)

A.Prof. Stephen Sherlock (Australia)

 

 

 

 


My Research Supervision


Supervision keywords


Areas of supervision

HDR Supervision  (Southeast Asian Social Inquiry) may be available subject to the alignment of research interests in the disciplinary fields of anthropology/sociology related to
gender, Islam, development with a focus on Indonesia and other Muslim majority countries in the Indo-Pacific.  

Recently completed international Research students:

PhD completions (primary supervision)

  • Dr Jaebong Park (UNSW funded, 2008 graduated) 
  • Dr Najib Kailani (UNSW funded, 2015 graduated, currently working as a State Islamic University Yogyakarta lecturer, Indonesia)
  • Dr Falikul Isbah (UNSW funded, 2016 graduated, currently working as a lecturer in sociology,  Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia  )
  • Dr Riza Nurdin (UNSW funded, disaster resilience civil society development, 2018 graduated, currently a postdoctoral fellow at Ritsumeikan International University) 
  • Dr Bhirawa Anoraga (Indonesian Government (LPDP) funded, graduated 2021)
  • Dr Ajie Saksono (PhD Indonesian Government Scholarship LPDP funded, graduated 2022, rural poverty reduction and community empowerment)

Masters completion (primary supervision)

  • Ms Farhat Hamid (MPhil, 2020)

Honours in Indonesian Studies

  • Ms Sammy Chapman (Honours in Indonesian Studies, Islam and Nationalism among  Indonesian Youth. 2019)

Currently supervising

Current HDR  Students under my supervision are part of the Asia Pacific Development and Security Research Group. 

PhD in Southeast Asian Social Inquiry (code 1203)

  • Mr Juel Rana Kutub (PhD, UNSW funded, gender empowerment in Bangladesh)
  • Mr Hadi Noori (PhD, UNSW funded, community-driven development in Afghanistan)

 


My Engagement

I have built strong ties with Indonesia through my research and teaching. My research collaborative partnerships include partners from the State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, The University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University and the Airlangga University.   I have been contributing the directions of Islamic studies by offering anthropological perspectives of Islamic studies.  As such  I am serving on the editorial board for the Asia Pacific Anthropology and Studia Islamika. 

Recent Media Coverage

Sep 2022 Using Indonesian examples for Muslim women's gender empowerment  

 

 

Professional Activities

I serve as an expert on the following international journals  in the field of Islamic Studies, Social Sciences and Islamic Finance.

Advisory Role for Civil Society Organisations

 

Other activities

 For her Engagement story please click


My Teaching

My  teaching philosophy is to transfer passion for knowledge. I value  students' active learning and engagement in class and is among an approved peer teaching reviewer at UNSW Canberra. 

I learn greatly from students' questions and I enjoy classroom interactions. 

Since 2015 I have been running an annual students' conference which involve all the undergraduate students in Indonesian Studies at UNSW Canberra in partnership with the Indonesian Embassy, Canberra, and the Deference School of Foreign Languages (Melbourne).

Along with this conference she also has been coordinating the annual Indonesian speech contest convened by the Indonesian Embassy, Canberra.  

Courses Taught  
  • Development Policies and Social Contexts in Contemporary Indonesia
  • Islam and the Challenges of Modernity 
  • Gender, Class and Society in Indonesia
  • All levels of Indonesian Language and Culture courses 
  • Honours supervision 
  • Research Projects (CDF undergraduate and IPS Masters Course Work) on the issues of Islam, gender, radicalism, interfaith issues in Indonesia
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Location

UNSW Canberra
BLDG 28-115 HASS (Entrance from Bldg 29)

Contact

+61 2 5114 5076

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ORCID as entered in ROS

orcid_icon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8137-2513

UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia Telephone +61 2 93851000
Authorised by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
UNSW CRICOS Provider Code: 00098G ABN: 57 195 873 179

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