Jeremy Kingsley
Tell us about yourself!
I am a senior lecturer at Swinburne Law School (Melbourne, Australia). I am a heterogenous mix of lawyer and anthropologist focusing on Indonesia. (ED: He is also Deputy President of the Indonesia Council, dong!). My current research is about transnational law and its application in Jakarta amongst corporate lawyers.
Where does your interest in Indonesia stem from?
When I was a corporate lawyer (I know… apologies for my former sins) my largest client was an Indonesian family conglomerate. More often than not I couldn’t understand their business practices. From this point onwards I started to toy with the idea of learning more about Indonesia. This is when I decided to leave practice and do my Master of Laws at Melbourne Law School. This was the start of my adventure into Indonesian law and society.
What is the nature of your engagement with Indonesia – are you an academic, a professional, an alumni…
I am an academic and my teaching and research is focused on Indonesian law and InterAsian Studies. My Indonesia Law, Governance and Culture Program has seen over 100 students do our annual study tour and over 20 students heading to Yogyakarta for exchanged (and then an internships in Jakarta) over the last six years (with a two year hiatus in the middle… damn pandemic!). It has become a central part of Swinburne Law School’s curriculum and competitive advantage.
How do you think organisations like Indonesia Council can improve Australia-Indonesia relations?
It is a challenging time at Australian universities and Indonesian Studies is struggling to find its place but the Indonesia Council needs to help elbow Indonesian Studies back into prominence in the higher education sector. Australia needs Indonesia-literate lawyers, entrepreneurs, professionals and public servants. It is a national scandal that we are undermining this capacity! The Indonesia Council needs to lead the charge on changing this equation.
Tell us about your favourite Indonesian food experience
On my first trip to Indonesia, just after I had started my Masters, I remember having nasi goreng at a small warung on the side of a busy street in Mataram. And things just clicked. Indonesia had me…
Do you speak Indonesian and where did you start learning it?
I did three months intensive in Mataram, Lombok @ Pusat Bahasa, Universitas Mataram at the start of my PhD fieldwork. From there a lot of reading and talking has revolutionised my life.
What’s your favourite Indonesian music/song/writer?
My pleasures are weird… maybe a little bland… but I love reading the Kompas op-ed pages.
What motivates you in your line of work? Does anyone inspire you?
I am driven by a quirky mind. I see problems that need fixing and ideas that need playing with and… well I can’t sit back and wait around for others to think about these issues.
So, when I started thinking about global connectedness, I realised that it was shameful that I didn’t really know our neighbour, Indonesia. My interest isn’t just about Indonesia but about me knowing more about my own society… Australia. What are my presumptions? And how do they affect what I do? Indonesia helps me keep things real.
Law and governance give the contours to our lives. Australian lawyers, legal scholars and students cannot live in a linguistic and cultural bubble. And this is what drives me!
I have had many inspirations… Tim Lindsey lured me into Indonesian legal studies and has continued to mentor me, while there has been an array of inspirational scholars and fellow travellers who make the journey so much fun. Onwards and upwards!
Finally, it’s YOUR turn to ask a question… Please suggest a question we can ask our next member!
What is your favourite Indonesian animal? (this question is a direct request from Elijah, my son).