Azyumardi Azra is professor of history at Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN or State Islamic University), Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Indonesia. Born in West Sumatra (March 4, 1955), he graduated from the Faculty of Tarbiyah (Islamic Education), IAIN (State Institute for Islamic Studies) Jakarta (1982). In 1986 he won a Fullbright Scholarship to pursue his advanced studies at Columbia University, New York City and got his MA (1988) from the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. Winning Columbia President Fellowship, he moved to Department of History, Columbia University, where he got another MA (1989), MPhil (1990), and PhD (1992) with dissertation on “The Transmission of Islamic Reformism to Indonesia: Networks of Middle Eastern and Malay-Indonesian `Ulama in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries”.

  Returned to Jakarta, he founded Studia Islamika; Indonesian Journal for Islamic Studies in 1993; he holds the position of editor-in-chief of the journal until the present time. He is also on the board of editors of Journal of Qur’anic Studies, SOAS, London. In 1994/1995 he was a visiting fellow of Southeast Asian Studies at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University, during which time he also lectured at St. Anthony College. He was also visiting professor at University of Philippines, Diliman (1997), and Universiti Malaya (1997). In addition, he was a member of Selection Committee of SEASREP (Southeast Asian Regional Exchange Program), organized by the Toyota Foundation and the Japan Center, Tokyo, Japan (1997-1999).

In 2001, he was a Distinguished International Visiting Professor at Department of Middle Eastern Studies, New York University. He has lectured at NYU, Harvard University (Asia Center) and Columbia University. He is also supervisor and an external examiner for PhD dissertations at a number of Post-graduate Faculties in Indonesian Universities (IAIN/UIN Jakarta, IAIN Yogyakarta, Universitas Indonesia, etc), Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Leiden University, University of Melbourne, and Australian National University. Furthermore, he is appointed as Professorial Fellow at University of Melbourne (2004-2009); and is a member of Board of trustees International Islamic University, Islamabad (2004-2009). He also had an honor to meet with President Bush in Bali as one of the four Indonesian Civil Society Leaders on October 2004. And in May 2005, he received a Doctoral degree of Humane Letters Honoris Causa from Carrol College Montana, USA for his academic achievements, his contributions to worldwide understanding of the Islamic world and his efforts to promote peace between cultures. Recently, he received the Bintang Mahaputera Utama from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his dedication to Indonesia’s education on August 15, 2005.

He has also presented papers in numerous national and international seminars and workshops. His books include Jaringan Ulama (Networks of Muslim Religious Scholars), 1994; Pergolakan Politik Islam (Tension of Islamic Politics), 1996; Islam Reformis (Reformist Islam), 1999; Konteks Berteologi di Indonesia (Contextual Theology in Indonesia), 1999; Menuju Masyarakat Madani (Toward Civil Society), 1999); Pendidikan Islam: Tradisi dan Modernisasi Menuju Milenium Baru (Islamic Education: Tradition and Modernization towards the New Millennium), 1999; Esei-esei Pendidikan Islam dan Cendekiawan Muslim (Essays on Islamic Education and Muslim Intellectuals), 1999; Renaisans Islam di Asia Tenggara (Renaissance of Islam in Southeast Asia) -- which won the national award as the best book of the year 1999 in the field of humanities and social sciences; and Islam Substantif (Substantive Islam) , 2000.

In 2002, he launched six books, Islam Nusantara: Jaringan Global dan Lokal (Islam in the Archipelago: Global and Local Networks); Paradigma Baru Pendidikan Nasional: Rekonstruksi dan Demokratisasi (New Paradigm of National Education: Reconstruction and Democratization); Reposisi Hubungan Agama dan Negara : Merajut Kerukunan Antar-Umat (Reposition of Relations between Religion and the State; Enhancing Religious Tolerance); Menggapai Solidaritas: Tensi antara Demokrasi, Fundamentalisme, dan Humanisme (Creating Solidarity: Tension between Democracy, Fundamentalism, and Humanism); Konflik Baru Antar-Peradaban: Globalisasi, Radikalisme, dan Pluralitas (New Inter-Civizational Conflicts: Globalization, Radicalism and Pluralism); Historiografi Islam Kontemporer: Wacana, Aktualitas dan Aktor Sejarah (Contemporary Islamic Historiography: Discourse, Actuality, and Historical Actors).

He also contributes to chapter of edited books: "Pembentukan Tradisi Politik Kesultanan Pada Masa Awal Islam di Nusantara", in Mohd Taib Osman & Awang Haji Abdul Latif bin Haji Ibrahim (eds.), International Seminar on Brunei Malay Sultanate In Nusantara Proceedings, 2 Vols, Brunei Darussalam, 1994, Vol I; “Education, Law, Mysticism: Constructing Social Realities”, in Mohd. Taib Osman (ed.), Islamic Civilization in the Malay World, Kuala Lumpur & Istanbul: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka & IRCICA, 1997; “A Hadhrami Religious Scholar in Indonesia: Sayyid `Uthman”, in U. Freitag & W.G. Clarence-Smith (eds.), Hadhrami Traders, Scholars, and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1997; “Opposition to Sufism in the East Indies in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries”, in F. de Jong & Bernd Radtke (eds.), Islamic Mysticism Contested: Thirteen Centuries of Controversies and Polemics, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1999; “The Islamic Factor in Post-Soeharto Indonesia”, in Chris Manning & Peter van Diermen (eds.), Indonesia in Transition: Social Dimensions of Reformasi and Crisis, Canberra & Singapore: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University & ISEAS, 2000; " Islam and Christianity in Indonesia : The Roots of Conflict and Hostility, " in Joseph A. Camilleri (ed.) Religion and Culture In Asia Pacific : Violence or Healing ?, Melbourne : Vista Publications & Pax Christi, 2001; Islamic Reforms in Indonesia, Canberra: AAAS & Allen Unwin (2003, forthcoming) ; "The Bosnian Crisis in the Eastern Islamic World: The Case of Indonesia ", in The Bosnian Crisis and the Islamic World, New York: Occasional Papers No 3, The Middle East Institute, Columbia University, (2002); “Globalization of Indonesian Muslim Discourse: Contemporary Religio-Intellectual Connections between Indonesia and the Middle East”, in Johan Meuleman (ed), Islam in the Era of Globalization: Muslim Attitudes towards Modernity and Ideality, London: Curzon, 2002; “ Civil Society, Islam, and Indonesian Transition to Democracy”, in David Schack & Wayne Hudson (eds.), Civil Society in Asia, London and New York: Ashgate, 2003 (forthcoming); “Islamic Perspective on the Nation State: Political Islam in Post-Soeharto Indonesia”, in Amin Saikal & Virginia Hooker (eds.), Islamic Perspectives on the New Millennium , Canberra & Singapore: ANU & ISEAS, 2003 (forthcoming); “The Megawati Presidency: Challenge of Political Islam”, in Hadi Soesastro, A.L. Smith & Han Mui Ling (eds.), Governance in Indonesia: Challenges Facing the Megawati Presidency, Singapore: ISEAS, 2002.

In 1982-1985 he had worked as a researcher at the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (LIPI); and moved to IAIN Jakarta (1985) as a lecturer. In 1995-1997, he was also vice Director of Center for the Study of Islam and Society (Censis), research center of the IAIN/UIN Jakarta before being appointed as Vice Rector for Academic Affairs in 1997. Lastly, he was elected as Rector of IAIN/UIN Jakarta in October 1998; and was reelected in August 2002 for the second term.