Tell us about yourself!

I’m a Lecturer in Indonesian and Asian Studies at the Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne, where I have worked now for the past seven years. I’m passionate about anything to do with Indonesia! I’m a socio-legal researcher and work mainly on human rights issues. I teach both Indonesian language and subjects related to politics and society of Indonesia as well as the broader Southeast Asian region.

Where does your interest in Indonesia stem from?

Family background has a lot to do with this, I suppose! I have an Indonesian father and a Dutch mother. I was born in Indonesia, and lived there for the first 6 years of my life, before moving to The Netherlands. Both my parents passed on their interest in and passion for Indonesian language, literature, culture, society and history onto me. I wanted to learn more so after high school, I enrolled in an undergraduate degree in “Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia” at Leiden University.

What is the nature of your engagement with Indonesia – are you an academic, a professional, an alumni…

I’m an academic, but I would like to see my engagement with Indonesia as much broader than that. Many of the people that I work with in Indonesia have over the years become good friends. And while I work on human rights in Indonesia, it’s not just my “job” – it’s something I personally deeply care about too. I try to bring this personal interest and commitment to everything that I do – whether it’s teaching, research or engagement.

How do you think organisations like Indonesia Council can improve Australia-Indonesia relations?

What Indonesia Council does really well is by bringing together people that are interested in Indonesia. I think it’s through building a community and creating spaces for dialogue, that really benefits the Australia-Indonesia relationship. What I also really like about Indonesia Council is that the conference is so accessible when compared to other conferences. That really makes it easy for people to share their ideas and connect to one another.

Tell us about your favourite Indonesian food experience

One food experience I will never forget was when in 2015 visited the island of Buru in Indonesia. One the people I travelled with, Rahung Nasution (who is also known as a culinary activist), cooked with and for the community of former political prisoners that we had visited. There were a lot of fish and vegetable dishes, which were all delicious, but above all it was about connecting with the people who so generously had shared their stories and experiences with us.

Who is your favourite Indonesian writer?

Another difficult question… but I will go with the work of Leila Chudori, especially Pulang and Laut Bercerita. This obviously has something to do with that both these books focus on past human rights issues, which resonates with my research interests. Pulang in particular transported me to my own childhood in The Netherlands – during holidays my Dad would often take me to Paris where we frequented Restaurant Indonesia which features prominently in Pulang. So, it reminded me of those times and my family’s connection with Indonesian exiles.

What’s your favourite Indonesian idiom?

I really like “malu-malu kucing”. Not sure why, I just think it’s funny. Maybe it’s because I love cats?!

PAY IT FORWARD: Finally, it’s YOUR turn to ask a question… Please suggest a question we can ask our next member!

If you didn’t work on Indonesia, what would your profession be and why?