Our research investigates how local socio-cultural norms and contexts interact with the Sustainable Development Goals. Social policy, gender, religion, urbanisation, digital economy, and forced migration in Asia Pacific are some of our research topics.
Minako Sakai, Amelia Fauzia and Felix Tan are researching how emergent IT and social media foster Muslim women’s participation in economic activities, with a focus on Muslim women in Indonesia. Islam and local culture affects the construction of gender relations and patriarchy, and accommodating unique socio-cultural contexts is a key for women’s empowerment and wellbeing. This is explored in Narratives of Muslim Womanhood and Women’s Agency. Our research shows that gradual changes in gender relations are also facilitating religious and cultural tolerance.
Minako Sakai, Juel Kutub and Farhat Hamid are studying how gender inclusivity in social development policies can be achieved through case studies of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Nelia Hyndman-Rizk has published a monograph, Lebanese Women at the Crossroads, in which she explores the intersection between women’s rights and Lebanon’s confessional political and legal system.
Under this ongoing project, Minako Sakai, Ajie Saksono (UNSW PhD student) and Hadi Noori (UNSW PhD student) seek to examine emergent diverse forms of rural livelihoods to identify appropriate policies and emergent business partnerships to support equitable development and sustainable development. This research project is in collaboration with Dr Falik Isbah at Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia.