KUALA LUMPUR: Civilisational challenges during the colonial era in the Malay archipelago will be among the topics for discussion at the annual international conference on history and culture here next week.
The two-day conference, organised by International Council for Historical and Cultural Cooperation-Southeast Asia (ICHCC- SEA) together with the Malaysian Historical Society, will see a total of 15 papers presented by academicians and historians from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and the United States.
It will be held on Sept 3-4 at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC-IIUM) here.
The Shaikh al-Kulliyyah at ISTAC-IIUM, Professor Datuk Dr Osman Bakar said apart from the discussions, the conference was also aimed at promoting cooperation and research in history and civilisation.
Osman is also ISTAC’s chair holder of Al-Ghazali of Epistemology and Civilisational Studies and Renewal.
“For the sixth installment of the conference, we have lined up a list of speakers who will present topics on the colonial period in the Malay archipelago and civilisation issues,” he said here today.
“It would also assess the impact of colonial powers in the Malay archipelago, particularly in terms of language and culture.”
PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to deliver a keynote speech.
“Admission for the opening session is free. The participation fee is RM50 for students, RM100 for Malaysians and US$100 (RM421) for international participants.
“We’re expecting over 200 participants to the conference,” he added.
The conference will be broken into six sub-themes which include the arrival of colonialists, the significance of circumnavigation to history, and colonisation and contemporary public policy.