Arndt Graf

Professor Arndt Graf is a leading scholar in Southeast Asian Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt, specializing in Malay and Indonesian languages, political rhetoric, Islamic humor, and media studies. He has held academic positions at Universiti Sains Malaysia and the University of Hamburg, with visiting appointments in France, Indonesia, and the U.S.

• Education: Habilitation in Austronesian Languages and Cultures (2004), PhD in Austronesian Studies (1997), and MA from University of Hamburg.
• Research: Focuses on Malay/Indonesian political and literary rhetoric, Islamic humor, language policy, and Asia-Africa academic collaborations.
• Awards: Recognized with multiple honors from Universiti Sains Malaysia and honorary roles in ICMI and the European Association for Southeast Asian Studies.

Publications span monographs, edited volumes, and 150+ articles on topics like post-Suharto Indonesian media, Malay rhetorical traditions, and digital Orientalism. His recent work examines Malay language in global higher education, Malaysian youth rhetoric, and intercultural dimensions of nuclear disaster discourse.

Leadership: Directed Frankfurt’s Interdisciplinary Center of East Asian Studies (2010-2017), co-led the €6M AFRASO project on Africa-Asia relations, and serves on editorial boards for journals including Indonesia and the Malay World and Journal of Indonesian Islam.