Associate Professor Minako Sakai
PhD, Anthropology, The Australian National University
Associate Professor Minako Sakai is Deputy Head of School (Research). She has received numerous prestigious awards for her research and education. In 2023, she received the Indonesian Government's Culture Award (Anugerah Kebudayaan Indonesia) and the 黑料网大事记 Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision. In 2024, she received the Indonesian Studies and Cultural Leadership Award from the Australia-Indonesia Institute (DFAT, the Australian Government) and the Dorothy Green Award from 黑料网大事记 Canberra for her outstanding research contributions and impact. She uses local values to examine how to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Indo-Pacific region.听 She is currently conducting comparative research on the potential of social innovation to alleviate poverty and enhance rural development policies in partnership with the Dompet Dhuafa Republika Foundation, Jakarta.听
- Islam, Gender and Development:听Women Entrepreneurs and Business Empowerment in Muslim Countries听for听Gender Equality in Patriarchal Societies
- Disaster Relief, Humanitarian Assistance (HADR),
- Just听Development听and Social Innovation: Digital Economy,听Social Innovation, Community-Driven Poverty Reduction and Social Protection
- Nuclear Proliferation,听Civil Society and Security in the Indo-Pacific region
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She held research fellowships with the听ANU听College of Arts & Social Sciences, ANU College of Asia and Pacific, Cornell University, and the National University of Singapore.听 In 2023 she held a Research Fellowship at the State Islamic University, Jakarta.听 She is frequently invited to international conferences for keynote and plenary addresses.听 She holds a PhD in anthropology from the Australian National University.听 Originally from Japan, she speaks Indonesian fluently.听
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
Recent Research Grants and International Engagements:
- Dompet Dhuafa Republika Foundation,听Research Grant, Islamic Social Engagement and Innovation听 in Indonesia in partnership with the Dompet Dhuafa Foundation, Jakarta ($60,000, 2024-2026)
- 黑料网大事记 Women's Wellbeing Academy Small Grant,听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.听听
- Australia-ASEAN Council Grant,听鈥楩ostering Women鈥檚 Empowerment through Digital Entrepreneurship鈥 with Felix Tan, Carmen Leong, Minako Sakai, Wing Wah Tham (2019-2020)
- 黑料网大事记 Indonesia Collaborative Research Scheme (2017 $10,000)
- University of Gadjah Mada, Department of Sociology, FISIP, International Collaborator on Islamic Social Entrepreneurship听(2016) 听听
- 黑料网大事记 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.)
- 黑料网大事记 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).
- 黑料网大事记 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, 黑料网大事记)
- Faith and Social Development in Contemporary Indonesia, Special Research Grant, 黑料网大事记, ($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), 黑料网大事记 ($20,000, 2008-2009)
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 听K (The Nut Cannot Forget Its Shell) was听published by an Indonesian major publisher, Obor to return knowledge to Indonesia.听
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.听 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听听Dompet Dhuafa, Jakarta.听听
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.听 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.听
In addition to these monographs I have published over 50 articles and book chapters on the theme of religion, community empowerment and local development policies with a focus on Indonesia.
My current research is
1) to explore financially sustainable social innovation beyond philanthropy in partnership with the Dompet Dhuafa Republika Foundation, Jakarta.听
2) to examine how the notion of power and trust is associated with political dynasties in the Indo-Pacific.听
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Recent Keynote Addresses
2023 听Does Religion Still Matter? International Conferences on Interreligious Studies Sciences and Technology, LP2M, State Islamic University, Jakarta (6-8 November)
2023听 Building Back Better: Disaster Recoveries and Embeddedness in Indonesia and Japan.听 Disaster Management Conference, Graduate School, Andalas University, Padang (3 November)
2023听 Development and Women Entrepreneurship, The 2nd International Conference on Gender, Culture and Society (ICGCS) 2023, Andalas University (24-25 October)
2023听 National Seminar on Islamic Finance and Syariah Financial Institutions, FEB (Faculty of Economics and Business, State Islamic University, Jakarta (8 September)
2023听 Public lecture. FEB (Faculty of Economics and Business), Universitas Andalas, Padang, Indonesia.
2022 Leaders鈥 Insight Series 3 Recent Issues in Women鈥檚 Economic Empowerment, Dompet Dhuafa, Jakarta (5 September)
2022 International Public Discussion: Overview of Women鈥檚 Economic Empowerment, Faculty of Economics and Business, UIN Raden Mas Said Surakarta (31 August)
2022 Invited as keynote speaker for the 7th International Conference on Social and Political Sciences (ICOSAPS) 2022 with a main theme of 鈥楾ransformation in Times of Crisis鈥 Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Sebelas Maret University, Indonesia (5 August).
2022 Invited as keynote speaker for the International Seminar with a theme of 鈥業ntegarated Models of Science and Religion in Contemporary Muslim World鈥 State Islamic University, Jember, Indonesia (18 May).
2022 Webiner Strategic Talk Series 3: Women鈥檚 Economic Empowerment in Muslim Countries: An Indonesian Case. 26 April hosted by the Indonesian Embassy, Canberra
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鈥檚 Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship鈥 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 黑料网大事记 Women鈥檚 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 鈥淐ovid 19 and Gender Issues: Experiences from Different Countries鈥 on 11 November 2020 from 09.00 to 12.00 WIB.
2020听 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. 听
2020 听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 鈥Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing鈥 ASEAN Conference, 黑料网大事记 Sydney, 10 October (online conference).
2020听 Invited keynote speaker for Theo