Religious life in Indonesia is famously diverse. Although the country is home to the largest number of Muslims in the world, it also contains thriving Christian and Hindu groups, as well as those who take part in Buddhist and Confucian practices and a remarkable range of local belief systems. Indonesian Islam itself is internally complex and fast changing. This presentation will introduce the historical background and discuss some of the main issues with which contemporary Indonesians are grappling today.

Professor Keane is also affiliated with the U of M Center for Southeast Asian Studies. He has published two books and numerous articles based on his research and fieldwork on Indonesia. He is currently involved in a project on religion, language, and media in Indonesia. In addition to two years on the eastern Indonesian island of Sumba, he has lived in east Java and Jakarta.

This is the first of six lectures in the series, "Indonesia; Culturally Diverse, Geographically Fragmented, Strategically Located."