Ehito Kimura

Ehito Kimura is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, affiliated with the College of Social Sciences. His work focuses on comparative politics and Southeast Asian politics, with a specialization in Indonesia's political dynamics, territorial decentralization, and transitional justice. Born in Switzerland, he holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University (1996), an MA in International Relations from Yale University (2001), and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006). Prior to academia, he worked in Bangkok at a non-profit research organization.

His research explores post-authoritarian political transitions, particularly in Indonesia, including his seminal work Provincial Proliferation: Territorial Politics in Post-Suharto Indonesia (Routledge, 2012). Recent projects address authoritarian nostalgia, democratic decline, and transitional justice in Southeast Asia. He teaches courses on global politics, comparative politics, Asian politics, and political methodology.

Awarded the CSS Excellence in Teaching Award (2020), Kimura advises students on Southeast Asian politics and frequently publishes on Indonesia’s electoral politics, decentralization, and democratic challenges. He contributes to interdisciplinary dialogues on development, memory politics, and post-Suharto governance.