Review: R. Dian Dia-an Muniroh & E. Aminudin Aziz (2026). Forensic Linguistics in Indonesia: Origins, Progress, and Prospects. Cambridge University Press. 106 pp.

Abstract

This review assesses Forensic Linguistics in Indonesia: Origins, Progress, and Prospects by R. Dian Dia-an Muniroh and E. Aminudin Aziz, a 2026 volume in Cambridge University Press’s Elements in Forensic Linguistics series. The book builds a working definition of forensic linguistics for Indonesia from a survey of fifty-three academics and practitioners, traces the field from language-related prosecutions in the Old and New Order periods to its present institutional footing, and maps research and professional practice through a systematic review of 298 publications. The review argues that the book’s main contribution is to document a Global South trajectory shaped by legal pluralism and extreme linguistic diversity, which unsettles the assumption that the discipline follows an Anglophone model. It also identifies four limitations: a thin critical historiography, limited attention to indigenous-language casework, little engagement with large language models and synthetic media, and an underdeveloped account of competency-based certification. The review concludes that the volume works as a roadmap for research infrastructure, professional standards, and interdisciplinary collaboration, and that its relevance extends to access to justice in multilingual societies.

Cite as: Syarifuddin (2026): JLL 15(1), F1–F6, DOI: 10.14762/jll.2026.F001