COLONIALISM IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO: Civilisational Encounters

by Osman Bakar, Ahmad Merican (Editor), Wan Ali Wan Mamat (Editor)

In this book fourteen leading scholars and intellectual-activists provide a collective treatment of the theme of colonialism in the Malay Archipelago from the as yet little explored perspective of civilisational encounters. The centuries-long Western colonial presence in the Archipelago had generated both peaceful and violent encounters that were to prove consequential on the civilisational history of the region. The book’s chapters attempt to present new insights into the nature and multidimensional character of these civilisational encounters and their significance for the life and thought of contemporary Malay Archipelago that now comprises the modern nation-states of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Timor-Leste.

345 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 12, 2021

About the author

Listed in Top500 list of influential Muslim, Osman Bakar is currently Al-Ghazali Chair of Islamic Thought at ISTAC-International Islamic University Malaysia and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy of Science at University of Malaya. He was formerly Distinguished Professor at Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies (SOASCIS), Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia Chair of Southeast Asian Islam at the Prince Talal al-Waleed Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Dr Bakar is author and editor of 38 books and numerous articles on various aspects of Islamic thought and civilization, particularly Islamic science and philosophy and interreligious and inter-civilizational dialogue. His writings have been translated into many languages. He has served as advisor and consultant to a variety of international academic and professional organisations, including UNESCO, the Qatar Foundation, and The European Science Foundation. He was awarded a Datukship by the Malaysian King in 2000.

Reviews

[Aran Chandran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the papers here appears well researched well researched with an interesting perspective. Which makes those that aren’t not, appear less scholarly appealing while dragging down the value of the volume. Would have rated it higher if not for those pieces.