Jarrah Sastrawan

Jarrah Sastrawan is a Lecturer in the School of Culture, History & Language at the Australian National University (ANU). He holds a PhD from Sydney University alongside B.Lib.Stud., M.Sc., and M.A. qualifications. His research focuses on Southeast Asian history, particularly Javanese historiography, epigraphy, and precolonial cultural dynamics. He actively supervises research students and contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations across Southeast Asia.

Education:

• Bachelor of Library Studies (Honours)
• Master of Science
• Master of Arts
• PhD in History (University of Sydney)

Research Interests:

Sastrawan explores historical practices in premodern Java, including the reinterpretation of inscriptions (e.g., Sangguran Charter), the analysis of chronicles like Pararaton, and the intersection of natural disasters with cultural memory. His work also addresses precolonial manuscript networks, the socio-political dimensions of Javanese literature, and the interplay between environmental events and societal structures. His recent focus includes the historiography of looted manuscripts and the textual reconstruction of pre-Islamic Malay literary traditions.

Grants & Collaborations:

Engages in ANU's global collaborations, particularly in Southeast Asia, focusing on epigraphic surveys (e.g., Hindu-Buddhist inscriptions in Central Java) and interdisciplinary disaster history projects. His work frequently combines textual analysis with archaeological evidence to reconstruct historical narratives.

Labs/Teams:

Prominent contributor to the Online Inventory of Ancient Nusantara Epigraphy project and collaborates with international teams on volcanology-historical projects (e.g., Samalas eruption studies).