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Muhammad Bahrul Ulum

Biography

Muhammad Bahrul Ulum is a PhD candidate at the School of Law, Queensland University of Technology. Born and raised in a farming region in East Java, recognised as a key contributor to Indonesia's food security, he brings grounded experience from working with an NGO in Surabaya, teaching at a high school in his village, and serving as a university lecturer in Jember and Malang. His thesis focuses on the socio-legal translation of Indonesia's developmentalism through its intersection with land, food, and human rights. It explores how Indonesia's agricultural land-use framework operates both legally and non-legally to support top-down development initiatives while marginalising small-scale farmers in the promotion of their right to food through livelihood narratives. In spite of authoritative resources, the research uses qualitative data from observations and multistakeholder interviews (farmers, local and national decision-makers, NGO activists, and academics). His case studies focus on the National Strategic Project (PSN) and extractive expansion linked to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Java. These cases analyse state-led infrastructure and extractive expansion alongside grassroots resistance through food sovereignty movements. 

This thesis is further reflected in his extensive works on human rights and democracy, as shown by his publications on elections, political parties, human rights, and the return of authoritarianism in post-Reformasi Indonesia. His thesis details the authoritarian resurgence from the grassroots, traced into the executive's aggrandised regulatory power and armed mobilisation to facilitate elite interests within state-driven development, resulting in exclusion, intimidation, and repression of small-scale farmers.

Muhammad is a former Visiting Fellow at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University. His work 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 under the auspices of the Indonesian Association of Human Rights Lecturers (SEPAHAM Indonesia).

Muhammad welcomes engagement with scholars and practitioners interested in interdisciplinary work on human rights, agrarian change, and food regulation. For inquiries or potential collaborations, please reach him by email.

 

2026

  • The Return of Repressive Developmental State in Indonesia: PSN's Legal Regime, Coercive Land Politics, and Military Mobilisation, University of New South Wales. Forthcoming 17-19 June 2026.
  • Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meals Programme: Narratives in Tension with the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty, National University of Singapore. Forthcoming 22-27 June 2026.

2025

  • Negotiating Indonesia's 'New Developmentalism' from Land Use Decision-Making in Wadas Case, Indonesian Council Open Conference (ICOC), University of Melbourne.

2024

  • 25 Years of Indonesia's Food Policy Reform: Where Is Our Right to Food?, 21st ASLI Conference, Chulalongkorn University & Asian Law Institute (ASLI).

2023

  • The Mainstreaming of the Right to Food in Indonesia's Decentralised Context, 6th Conference on Human Rights, University of Sydney & Universitas Gadjah Mada.

2022

  • Constitutionalism in Indonesia’s Religiously Divided Societies: Past and Present, 2nd Asian Legal History Conference, Thammasat University & Asian Legal History Association.

2021

  • Partisipasi Publik, Media dan Pembentukan Undang-Undang, National Workshop on Constitutional Court Decision on Public Participation, Universitas Jember.

2019

  • Food Security and Land Conversion in Indonesia’s Decentralisation, International Conference on Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, Universitas Indonesia.
  • Democracy, Elections, and Political Parties After Two Decades of the Post-Authoritarian Regimes in Indonesia, 8th Asian Constitutional Law Forum.

2018

  • The Limits of Constitutionalism on Emergency Laws in Indonesia, Asian Symposium on Legal Pluralism: Limits of Law, Limits of Legality, Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia.
  • Questioning Emergency Laws against Constitutionalism in Indonesia, International Conference on Human Rights in Southeast Asia, University of Sydney & Universitas Jember.

2017

  • Debating Democracy and Asian Values: From Integralist State to the Vortex of Democratisation in Indonesia, Indonesian Constitutional Court International Symposium.
  • Constitutional Debate on Religion and Secularism in Indonesia and India, International Summer Conference: Human Rights in Southeast Asia, Universitas Jember.

Selected publications:

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

Muhammad gained practical experience in government at the national and local levels. At the national level, he was part of the team researching and drafting the standard on the right to adequate housing in Indonesia, as part of the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission's 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 part of the team conducting a series of consultations as part of the task of drafting the human rights action plan for Bondowoso Regency.

Muhammad currently serves as an Associate Editor for the journal "Human Rights in the Global South" (HRGS) from 2023 to present. This journal is managed under the auspices of the Indonesian Association of Human Rights Lecturers or Serikat Pengajar Hak Asasi Manusia Indonesia (SEPAHAM Indonesia). At HRGS, he contributes to the journal's mission to address human rights and development issues in the Global South. With a significant role on the editorial team, he is involved in the peer-review process and editorial decisions to improve 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 experience managing the journals Lentera Hukum and the Indonesian Journal of Law and Society at the University of Jember. Lentera Hukum, known as the journal for Global South legal studies, was the first faculty-level journal at the University of Jember to be indexed in Scopus (currently Q3), whereas the Indonesian Journal of Law and Society was the first journal to directly obtain the 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, it improved its quality by obtaining a higher national accreditation (SINTA 2). In 2021, this journal was indexed by HeinOnline and 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 the 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 made excellent progress, attracting authors from diverse nationalities to consider submitting their articles to this journal as the venue for their work, and implementing a more robust peer-review process involving reviewers from different nationalities. In 2022, this journal attained the second-highest national accreditation (SINTA 2) and was indexed by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

  • 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 participated in some research training that developed his research skills. In 2018, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan, to finalise his paper on the regulatory framework for genetically modified crops and 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 participated in the 43rd Southeast Asia Seminar, a highly competitive research training program 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

  • 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)
  • Secretary at LPDP Queensland (2023 - 2024)
  • Research and Publication Commission at the Association of Indonesian Socio-legal Studies (2021 - 2025)
  • 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)

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)

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

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