Australian Research Council Linkage Grant Success for Associate Professor Eva Nisa

The ANU Indonesia Institute is delighted to congratulate one of our members, Associate Professor Eva Nisa of the School of Culture, History and Language, at ANU College of the Asia and the Pacific, for her team’s successful application for an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant, announced on 19 May 2026. This major grant success further consolidates Eva’s position as a leading scholar of contemporary Indonesian religion. Eva will lead a multidisciplinary team, including collaborators from the Indonesian Ministry of Religion, on a project entitled ‘Ecotheology: Religion, State, and Environmental Governance in Indonesia’, funded for $481,080.

This project explores how Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs promotes ecotheology by linking faith with environmental action. It investigates how religious values influence policy and public attitudes towards sustainability in a deeply religious nation. The project will assess how this initiative is integrated into everyday culture and governance. Findings will help Australian policymakers, businesses and community groups engage more effectively with Indonesia on shared environmental challenges.

Eva’s project responds to a significant shift in Indonesia’s national policy landscape, where religion, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation are increasingly brought into the same policy framework. Since 2024, Eva’s engagement with key actors in Indonesia’s halal industry (her ARC DECRA) has drawn attention to how environmental concerns are becoming more visible within broader discussions on governance, ethics, and development. Her work has identified the growing prominence of the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ ecotheology as a new policy orientation linking religious teachings with environmental responsibility.

The research will be conducted by an interdisciplinary team bringing together expertise in anthropology, environmental governance, religious studies, gender studies, education, and policy engagement. The research is also highly relevant to Australia, given Indonesia’s importance as a close regional neighbour and major partner in trade, education, and regional cooperation. As climate-related challenges increasingly affect the region, the project provides insights into how locally grounded and culturally informed environmental initiatives may contribute to social resilience and regional stability.

Congratulations to Eva and her team!