Overview


The Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society (CILIS) commenced activities in 2013 and is devoted to the study of Indonesian law and Islamic legal studies.  It was previously called the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam (from 2005) and the Centre for Islamic Law and Society (CILS) (from 2007).  The Centre was rebadged in 2013 to better reflect the focus of its research and seminar programmes.

The Director of the Centre is Professor Tim Lindsey, who is also Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law in the Melbourne Law School. The Deputy Director is Helen Pausacker, who is also a Principal Researcher in the Asian Law Centre.

The Centre runs Research Seminars throughout the year, presented by current Graduate Research Degree (GRD) students, noted scholars and visitors, and experts in the field.

CILIS is closely linked to the Melbourne Law School's Asian Law Centre (ALC), as CILIS has grown out of the ALC's longstanding programmes on Indonesian law, and Professor Tim Lindsey remains an Associate Director of the ALC.

If you have any queries about any of the activities or research of CILIS, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Purposes and Objectives

The purposes and objectives of CILIS are to:

  • Create a global centre of excellence for research on Indonesian law, governance and legal culture at the University of Melbourne with a particular focus on the state legal system, Islamic legal traditions and their relationships to Indonesian society.
  • Promote interdisciplinary approaches to understanding contemporary Indonesian legal issues at the University of Melbourne.
  • Attract researchers/specialists of the highest calibre in the study of contemporary Indonesian legal issues to the University of Melbourne.
  • Function as a think-tank for issues related to Indonesian law, Islam and society.
  • Enhance community understandings of Indonesian law, Islam and society.