Nathan Franklin

Dr Nathan Franklin is a Lecturer in Indonesian Studies at Charles Darwin University's Faculty of Arts and Society. His research focuses on Indonesian politics, history, and society with specialization in political Islam, Southeast Asian governance, and language/cultural studies. He holds a PhD from CDU examining Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah's educational systems in Java.

Franklin has published extensively in Q1 journals including Politics and Governance, convenes the Understanding Indonesia conference series, and provides media commentary on Indonesian affairs. He teaches Indonesian language, politics, and history, integrating Northern Australian perspectives into academic development units.

Recipient of the 2016 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching, he collaborates on projects like the Bangladesh Indigenous Knowledge study and has supervised six HDR students. His work explores themes like decentralisation challenges in Eastern Indonesia, historical plague management in Java (2023), and martial arts institutionalization in Darwin (2023).