Sumanto Al Qurtuby is Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology in the Department of Global & Social Studies at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia. He is also Director of Nusantara Institute on Culture and Religion. Born in Central Java, Indonesia, Sumanto obtained his PhD from Boston University, specializing in anthropology of Islam and Muslim societies, besides degrees (masters and bachelor) in Islamic studies, sociology of religion, and conflict/peace studies. Sumanto is an active commentator on social media, especially Facebook, whose personal account has attracted more than 230,000 followers.
His research interests focus on the study of Muslim politics and cultures; conflict, violence, and peacebuilding; inter-and intra-religious relations, the role of religion in public sphere, and Arab Middle East–Southeast Asian/Indonesian connection. During his academic career, he has been awarded fellowships from several institutions, including the University of Notre Dame, National University of Singapore, Mennonite Central Committee, Kyoto University, National Science Foundation (USA), Earhart Foundation (USA), and University of Oxford, among others.
Sumanto has published more than 24 books and hundreds of journal articles and popular essays in both Indonesian and English languages. His books include Religious Violence and Conciliation in Indonesia (London: Routledge, 2016) and Saudi Arabia and Indonesian Networks: Migration, Education and Islam (London & New York: I.B. Tauris / Bloomsbury, 2019). He is now working on at least two monographs: (1) Muslim–Christian Encounter in Indonesia: Sectarian Tension and Peaceful Coexistence and (2) Combating Terror: Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia (signed contract with Palgrave Macmillan).