Robert Hefner
Prof. Robert. W. Hefner
Boston University, USA
Profile
Robert W. Hefner is Professor of Anthropology and Global Studies at Boston University, United States. He is internationally recognized as one of the leading scholars in the study of Islam, politics, and modernity in Southeast Asia, with a particularly deep focus on Indonesia and Malaysia. His areas of expertise include the sociology of religion, Islamic education, and comparative politics and culture, with a sustained interest in how religious societies adapt to modern political and economic change.
Throughout his career, Hefner has made seminal contributions to global understandings of Islam in Indonesia, most notably through influential works such as Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia. His research frequently highlights the role of Islamic civil society organizations, including Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, in processes of democratization and pluralism. He has authored and edited more than 20 books, many of which have become foundational references for scholars examining the relationship between religion, the state, and civil society.
In 2025, Hefner serves as a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Research and Community Engagement (LP2M), UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. In this appointment, he engages in academic and research collaboration with Hilmy Firdausy, S.Ag., M.A. This collaboration is expected to strengthen UIN Jakarta’s international academic networks and to promote the integration of globally benchmarked scholarship and research.
Publication and Books
- – Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia
- – Hindu Javanese: Tengger Tradition and Islam
- – Conversion to Christianity: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives on a Great Transformation
- – Schooling Islam: The Culture and Politics of Modern Muslim Education
- – Multiple Modernities: Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism in a Globalizing Age
- – Islam, State, and Civil Society: ICMI and the Struggle for the Indonesian Middle Class
- – The Political Economy of Mountain Java: An Interpretive History
- – The Politics of Multiculturalism: Pluralism and Citizenship in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia
- – CHAPTER ONE. Introduction: World Building and the Rationality of Conversion
- – Making Modern Muslims: The Politics of Islamic Education in Southeast Asia
- – Islam in an Era of Nation-States: Politics and Religious Renewal in Muslim Southeast Asia
- – Pesantren and Madrasa: Muslim Schools and National Ideals in Indonesia
- – Islamizing Java? Religion and Politics in Rural East Java
- – Remaking Muslim Politics: Pluralism, Contestation, Democratization
- – Public Islam and the Problem of Democratization
- – Shari'a Politics: Islamic Law and Society in the Modern World
- – Remaking Muslim Politics: Pluralism, Contestation
- – Market Cultures: Society and Morality in the New Asian Capitalisms
- – Introduction: Multiculturalism and Citizenship in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia
- – Islamization and Democratization in Indonesia
Contact
📧 Email: rhefner@bu.edu