Colonialism, in all its grand riches and assumed bravado, has shaped and continues to mould the thoughts and actions of many across the globe.
The impact of coercion and pillaging, and of blatant disregard to those who have been labelled "the other", is very much the sine qua non of the colonial enterprise.
Physical subjugation might be a template used in the past, but the current imbroglio is one that relates to economic and intellectual suppression.
The residue of colonial policies has taken the form of an all-encompassing dictum to which modern nation-states are compelled to follow. This, in turn, has had, and continues to have, an adverse effect on the lives of millions of people the world over.
These decisions are often made under duress; a necessary caving in by governments to be "competitive" and "relevant" in the modern world. Closer to home, there is a pressing need to (re)consider our past and to learn from the relationships between civilisations.
The intention here is to build a future where honest communication (and perhaps reconciliation) can take place between subjugator and subjugated, as well as people with different lived realities and worldviews.
Colonialism in the Malay Archipelago: Civilisational Encounters is a collection of 13 essays on the topic of colonialism and its impact on the Nusantara region.
Published by the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation of International Islamic University of Malaysia (ISTAC-IIUM) Publications 2020, these compelling papers were submitted by scholars from across the region, and initially presented at an international conference jointly organised by ISTAC-IIUM and the Malaysian Historical Society on Sept 2-3, 2019.
The conference was held on the occasion of the International Council for Historical-Cultural Cooperation in Southeast Asia (ICHCC-SEA) Sixth International Conference on History and Culture.
The editors of the book are Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Osman Bakar, Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican, and former National Library of Malaysia director general Dr Wan Ali Wan Amat.
Other contributors to the book include Singapore-based academic Associate Professor Dr Farish Noor and Dr Maria Luisa Camagay of the Philippines, and a foreword titled "Rediscovering History: Malay Culture and Civilisation Today" by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The topics of discussion are separated and made clear from the start. The sub-sections in the book include "Europeans in the Malay Archipelago", "The Hispanised Malay and Magellan", "Resisting Colonialism", and "The Impact of Colonialism on Public Policy, Culture, and Identity".
Most of the authors deal with the civilisational relationship between colonial powers and their hosts in the Malay Archipelago. The narration of this relationship is often made through the motivation, experience, and trajectory of colonialists themselves.
Furthermore, the impact of colonisation on the Malay Archipelago cannot be overstated, as various domains within the life of the locals were altered and transformed in accordance with the civilisational agenda of the 3Gs: Gold, God (Gospel) and Glory.
Different variants of the 3Gs came to play in the region, but the expansion of modern European civilisation was very much rooted to the trifecta: monopoly of wealth, religious exclusivism and political nationalism.
This book would appeal to the layperson as it is written in an approachable manner, with academic jargon kept at a minimum.
For those interested in history and post-colonial studies, Colonialism in the Malay Archipelago: Civilisational Encounters can be used as a guide to facilitate research. It helps us to make sense of the civilisational encounters that have shaped our current reality.
Having said this, younger generations ought to be encouraged to better understand the civilisational consequences of colonialism in this region, which is identical with experiences of colonialism in other parts of the world.
We would do well to keep in mind that the overwriting of one history by another is an imposition of control by colonial authority.
The writer is a news anchor for TV3 (BizWorld and Nightline) and was research assistant for the Political Futures Experts Group (PFEG) at ISTAC. This is a review of a book titled Colonialism in the Malay Archipelago: Civilisational Encounters
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times