U.S. and Non-U.S. Scholars

Fulbright New Century Scholars Program
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Kraince, Richard

• Director
  
• Ohio University
  
• Center for International Studies
  
• Inter-Religious Dialogue and Exchange Project
  
• United States

Dr. Kraince earned his Ph.D. in Education from Ohio University in March 2003 and a Masters Degree in International Affairs with a concentration in Southeast Asia Studies. His doctoral work was focused on Islamic student activism in post-authoritarian Indonesia.

Dr. Kraince spent two and a half years engaged in field research in Indonesia. In 1998-99, he was as a visiting research fellow at Indonesia's National Institute for Islamic Studies (now the National Islamic University--UIN). In 2000, he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research at various public Islamic universities in Java. In 2001, he was employed as a Program Officer with the Asia Foundation based in Jakarta. He frequently serves as a consultant on education projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

In addition to his work in Southeast Asia, Dr. Kraince has considerable experience with education and development projects in the Caribbean. He lived for two years in the Bahamas while teaching coral reef studies with International Field Studies. He also directed numerous community development and cultural exchange projects in the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, and Belize.

Selected Publications

• The Role of Islamic Students in the Reformasi Struggle: KAMMI (Kesatuan Aksi Mahasiswa Muslim Indonesia) The Indonesian Muslim Student Action Union. In Studia Islamika, v. 7, no. 1. Jakarta, Indonesia: Center for the Study of Islam and Society, National Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN), March 2000.
  
• The Modernization of the National Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) and the Advancement of Muslim Intellectualism in Indonesia. In Islamic Studies in ASEAN. Pattani, Thailand: Prince of Songhla University, 2000.

The recent introduction of civic education in scores of Islamic colleges and universities in Indonesia is one of the major features of the democratization process in the world's most populous Muslim society. While much scholarly attention has been given to the role of university students within the popular reform movement that brought authoritarian governance to an end there in 1998, the formal role of higher education in helping to institutionalize democratic processes is not well understood. Islamic educators have provided significant leadership in efforts to strengthen civil society by instituting formal civic education courses intended to introduce democratic principles to Muslim students. Their efforts underscore the importance of progressive university networks in educating citizens about how diversity can be managed within a democratic paradigm. However, in light of the recent growth of exclusivist religious groups on campuses around the country, the overall effectiveness of civic education efforts at the university level remains unclear.

This research is designed to provide insight into the impact of civic education on civil society in Indonesia. The primary objective is to better understand the relationship between the progressive Islamic intellectuals responsible for civic education efforts at Indonesia's public Islamic universities and new Islamic political actors that are currently rising to prominence with the support of conservative Islamic student groups. Through discussions with education officials, leading faculty, and student activists, I will develop a better understanding of the effectiveness of civic educators in addressing controversial civil society issues, such as religious freedom, minority rights, and women's status in society. Most importantly, I will ascertain how inter-religious relations are changing in two key regions (South Sulawesi and South Sumatra) in light of these and other tolerance promotion efforts being conducted by Islamic university groups.