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Muhammad Bahrul Ulum

Biography

Muhammad is a PhD Candidate at School of Law, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), whose thesis critically examines the relationship between agricultural land use laws and the right to food in Indonesia. He is also a former Visiting Fellow at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, whose research examined the regulatory framework of genetically modified organism (GMO) crops on food safety in Indonesia. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for "Human Rights in the Global South" (HRGS), a peer-reviewed journal managed by the Indonesian Consortium of Human Rights Lecturers (SEPAHAM Indonesia).

Prior to commencing his PhD, Muhammad garnered experience in the NGO and university sectors. He worked as an assistant public lawyer at the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Surabaya. Additionally, he served as a legal drafter of the standard of norms and settings on the right to adequate housing at Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission. As an academic, his research interests include constitutionalism and rights-based instruments, which he explored at the Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration (CHRM2), Universitas Jember.

Muhammad has an editorial background, having served in various capacities for academic journals. He was the Associate Editor and later Editor-in-Chief of "Lentera Hukum." Under his leadership, the journal achieved significant milestones, including gaining its national accreditation as well as the inclusion of this journal into international indexing databases. Under this journal, he also convened the International Symposium on Constitutionalism and Public Law (2021), facilitating scholarly forum among researchers from various Global South countries. In addition, as the founding Editor-in-Chief of the "Indonesian Journal of Law and Society," he led the journal from 2020 to 2022, achieving national accreditation and attracting a diverse range of authors while strengthening the peer-review process.

Muhammad presented his research at various conferences, including those hosted by the Indonesian Constitutional Court, the University of Sydney, the University of Indonesia, Vietnam National University, Chulalongkorn University, and the National University of Singapore. His research has appeared in some peer-reviewed journals, such as Constitutional Review and Indonesia Law Review. He has also experience to review manuscripts in some journals published by Oxford, Sage, and Elsevier.

Muhammad is open to engaging with scholars and practitioners interested in human rights law, land law, and food law. For inquiries or collaborations, please reach him by email.

 

Email: m.ulum@hdr.qut.edu.au

Office: Z Block, Level 8, Room Z801, QUT Gardens Point, 2 George St, Brisbane 4000

What’s his current research?

Research Title: Indonesia’s agricultural land use decision-making and the right to food

Summary: This research critically analyses the decision-making framework of the Indonesian government regarding agricultural land use, emphasising the need to incorporate the interests of small-scale farmers to achieve food sovereignty and promote the right to adequate food. This study argues that by integrating the right to food into the agricultural land-use framework, the government can empower small farmers, facilitating their access to land resources necessary for food production and their livelihoods.

Research contribution: This research aims to contribute to the discourse on food sovereignty and food security in Indonesia, by offering insights into how policy reforms can better support small-scale farmers and promote their rights to food and land. By highlighting the importance of a rights-based approach, this research seeks to influence policymakers and stakeholders involved in agricultural land use and food security initiatives. This research has the potential to inform both academic scholarship and practical policy-making, advocating for a more inclusive and rights-oriented approach to agricultural land use in Indonesia.

Methodology: Despite doctrinal research, this study is grounded in empirical studies conducted in Central Java and East Java, by interviewing various stakeholders. These participants are small-scale farmers, activists from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), policymakers and decision-makers at both national and local levels, and academics from different disciplines relating to this research. This study uses critical discourse analysis to uncover political economy that shape agricultural land use laws influencing decision-making. This approach allows him to scrutinise how the current decision-making framework prioritises extractive industries and infrastructure development over the needs of small-scale farmers.

Keywords: agricultural land use; food policies; food security; food sovereignty; right to food.

Supervisors: Prof Amanda Kennedy, A/Prof Hope Johnson

  • Bachelor of Laws (S.H. –Sarjana Hukum) from the University of Jember, Indonesia (2007-2011)
  • Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Economic Law from Osmania University, India (2013-2015)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law (Agricultural and Food Law) at Queensland University of Technology, Australia (2023-2027)

Muhammad is educated in Indonesia, India, and Australia. He completed Sarjana Hukum (S.H. –Bachelor of Laws) at the University of Jember (2011), with a thesis that critically examines the regulatory framework of Indonesia's regional head elections and their way forward to endure the democratic process. Some parts of this research were published in a peer-reviewed journal, "Pemilihan Kepala Daerah di Indonesia Setelah Reformasi: Kesinambungan dan Perubahan," in Undang: Jurnal Hukum Vol. 4:2 (2021). He graduated Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Economic Law from Osmania University (2015), with a thesis that critically analyses the membership of the European Union in the WTO and its impact on legal personality. Some parts of this thesis were published in a peer-reviewed journal, "Constitutional Debate on European Union’s Shifting Pathway towards Supranationalism," in Lex Scientia Law Review Vol. 6:1 (2022). In 2023, He pursued a study for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), with a thesis that critically evaluates the relationship between Indonesia's agricultural land use decision-making and the right to food. He presented his part of the literature review at the 6th Conference on Human Rights (2023) held by the University of Sydney and was selected among the best papers, "Mainstreaming of the Right to Food in Indonesia's Decentralised Context."

In addition, Muhammad participated in some research training that developed his research skills. In 2018, he was Visiting Fellow at Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan to finalise his paper about the regulatory framework of genetically modified crops on biosafety in Indonesia supervised by Prof Yuzuru Shimada. This output was published entitled, "Regulating Biosafety of Genetically Modified Crops in Indonesia: Limits and Challenges," in UUM Journal of Legal Studies Vol. 12:2 (2021). He also joined the 43rd Southeast Asia Seminar, the highly competitive research training held by Kyoto University, Japan from 7-14 November 2019 in Vietnam. This so-called term 'seminar' was a mixture of academic discussion and field research, including a direct visit and consultation with Vietnam's authorities and grassroots.

INITIATIVES

  • The Convenor of the International Symposium on Constitutionalism and Public Law (2021). This event was the first of its kind held by Lentera Hukum under the auspices of the University of Jember Faculty of Law. This symposium allowed scholars from the Global South countries (attended by speakers from Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Korea, and Spain) to disseminate their research with vibrant peer discussion.
  • Editor-in-Chief at Lentera Hukum (2020-2023). This is a peer-reviewed law journal on the Global South that has improved steadily under his leadership. His rigorous management has presented breakthroughs to accelerate content quality and leverage the diversity of authorship, ultimately delivering it into the league table with a significant accreditation score nationally. This journal is now also available in some international databases, i.e., DOAJ, HeinOnline, and Scopus.
  • The founder and the chairman at kawanhukum.id (2019). This web-based platform is dedicated to increasing the law literacy of internet users by providing a forum for writing and sharing their ideas in order to accommodate their insights and improve readers' legal awareness, particularly Y and Z Generations.
  • The founder and the first Executive Director at Forum Kajian Keilmuan Hukum (2009). This Forum has pioneered the rigorous scientific community that emphasises critical thinking based at the Faculty of Law, University of Jember. Hitherto, this Forum has significantly contributed to the institutional reputation that places it as one of the leading law schools by students' achievements at the national level.

MENTORSHIPS

ORGANISATIONS

  • Secretary at LPDP Queensland (2023 - present)
  • Research and Publication Commission at Association of Indonesian Socio-legal Studies (2021 - present)
  • Associate Editor at Human Rights in the Global South (2023 - present)
  • Editor at Indonesian Journal of Law and Society (2020-2022)
  • Editor in Chief at Lentera Hukum (2019 - 2023)
  • Associate Editor at Lentera Hukum (2017-2019)
  • Chairman (acting) at Indonesian Student Association in India (PPI India) (2015)
  • Deputy of the Chairman at Indonesian Student Association in India (PPI India) (2014)
  • Executive Director at Forum Kajian Keilmuan Hukum (FK2H) Fakultas Hukum Universitas Jember (2009 - 2010)

Muhammad was involved in some practical experiences at the government at the national and local levels. At the national level, he was among the team researching and drafting the standard of the right to adequate housing in Indonesia, part of the Indonesia National Human Rights Commission initiatives. At the local level, he has experience drafting numerous bylaws (firstly on empowering local workers, and secondly on preserving agricultural land to protect farmers) at Gresik Regency. He was also among the team conducting a series of consultations as part of the task to draft the human rights action plan at Bondowoso Regency.

Muhammad currently serves as an Associate Editor for the journal "Human Rights in the Global South" or HRGS (from 2023 to present). This journal is managed under the Indonesian Consortium of Human Rights Lecturers or Serikat Pengajar Hak Asasi Manusia Indonesia (SEPAHAM Indonesia). At HRGS, he contributes to the journal's mission of addressing human rights and development issues in the Global South context. With a significant role in the editorial team, he is involved in the peer-review process and editorial decisions as part of enhancing the journal's credibility and academic rigour, in addition to his work to engage with a network of scholars and practitioners in the field of human rights in Indonesia and beyond.

Muhammad's editorial position at HRGS reflects his earlier experiences in managing some journals at the University of Jember: Lentera Hukum and the Indonesian Journal of Law and Society. Lentera Hukum, known as the journal for Global South legal studies, was the first journal at the faculty level of the University of Jember indexed by Scopus (currently Q3), whereas the Indonesian Journal of Law and Society was the first journal to directly obtain a second-highest national accreditation (SINTA 2).

Muhammad served in editorial positions from Associate Editor to Editor-in-Chief at Lentera Hukum from 2017 to 2023. His leadership at this journal improved its quality and recognisability at the national and international levels. In 2019, this journal was first nationally accredited (SINTA 3), and one year later in 2020 this journal improved its quality by obtaining a better national accreditation (SINTA 2). In 2021, this journal was indexed by HeinOnline as well as the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Simultaneously, in 2021, he convened the International Symposium on Constitutionalism and Public Law, a forum that attracted scholars from the Global South countries (attended by speakers from Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Korea, and Spain) to disseminate their research with vibrant peer discussion, with its outcome to publish their articles in this journal. In 2022, this journal was accepted for inclusion in the Scopus database.

Muhammad was the founding editor of the Indonesian Journal of Law and Society, serving this journal as Editor-in-Chief from 2020 to 2022. Under his leadership, this journal achieved excellent progress, attracting authors from different nationalities to consider their articles submitted to this journal as the venue of their works as well as processing a more robust peer-review process involving reviewers from different nationalities. In 2022, this journal attained the second-highest national accreditation (SINTA 2) as well as was indexed by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

2022-2024

  • 2024 - MB Ulum, 25 Years of Indonesia's Food Policy Reform: Where Is Our Right to Food? 21st ASLI Conference: The Future of Law, The Future of Asia, organised by Chulalongkorn University and the Asian Law Institute (ASLI) National University of Singapore.
  • 2023 - MB Ulum, The Mainstreaming of the Right to Food in Indonesia's Decentralised Context, 6th Conference on Human Rights, organised by the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (University of Sydney) and Universitas Gadjah Mada.
  • 2022 - MB Ulum, Constitutionalism in Indonesia’s Religiously Divided Societies: Past and Present, the 2nd Asian Legal History Conference, hosted by the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, the Asian Legal History Association, and CALS (National University of Singapore Faculty of Law).

 

2017-2021

  • 2021 - MB Ulum, Partisipasi Publik, Media dan Pembentukan Undang-Undang, National Workshop on Constitutional Court Decision on Public Participation, organised by the Center for Pancasila and Constitutional Studies (UNEJ Faculty of Law).
  • 2019 - MB Ulum, MM Taufiqurrohman, Food Security and Land Conversion in Indonesia’s Decentralization Regime: A Narrative of Legal and Social Responses from Below, International Conference on Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, organised by Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universitas Indonesia.
  • 2019 - MB Ulum, Democracy, Elections, and Political Parties After Two Decades of the Post-Authoritarian Regimes in Indonesia, 8th Asian Constitutional Law Forum (Asian Constitutional Law: Recent Developments and Trends).
  • 2018 - MB Ulum, The Limits of Constitutionalism on Emergency Laws in Indonesia, Asian Symposium on Legal Pluralism: Limits of Law, Limits of Legality, organised by the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia.
  • 2018 - MB Ulum, Questioning Emergency Laws against Constitutionalism in Indonesia, International Conference on Human Rights in Southeast Asia, organised by the Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration  (University of Jember) and the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (University of Sydney).
  • 2017 - MB Ulum, NA Hamida, Debating Democracy and Asian Values: From the Notion of Integralist State to the Wave of Democratization in Contemporary Indonesia, the Indonesian Constitutional Court International Symposium: Constitutional Court, Ideology, and Democracy in Plural Society, organised by the Indonesian Constitutional Court.
  • 2017 - MB Ulum, Constitutional Debate on Religion and Secularism in Indonesia and India, International Summer Conference: Human Rights in Southeast Asia, organised by the Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration (University of Jember).

2020-2023

 

2017-2019

SCHOLARSHIPS 

  • Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Scholarship to pursue Doctor of Philosophy (2023-2027)
  • Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Scholarship to pursue Master's Degree (2013-2015)

AWARDS

  • Ambassador Awards for Excellence, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in New Delhi (2013)
  • 2nd Winner of Student of the Year at the University of Jember (2011)
  • 1st Winner of the Student of the Year at the Faculty of Law, University of Jember (2011)
  • Padmo Wahjono Award, 1st Winner of the National Law Debate Competition held by the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia (2010)
  • Constitutional Award, 1st Winner of the National Writing Competition held by the Indonesian Constitutional Court (2009)

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