MBRAS : Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society

Dear Members and Friends of MBRAS,

We are pleased to invite to our next talk “Violent White Men and Heroic Asian Women: The American Attack on Sumatra in 1832 and the Themes of Race and Gender during the Rise of American Power in Asia" by Professor Dr Farish A Noor, Department of History, University Malaya.

Time: Saturday, 20 November 2021 at 3.00 p.m. MYT (GMT+8) via Zoom.

Do email us at [email protected] for more information!

Please find the Zoom link here:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96043380846
Meeting ID: 960 4338 0846

Dear Members and Friends of MBRAS

We are pleased to invite to our next talk “Transformation of Kampong Ayer in Brunei Darussalam: Changes and Development” by Dr Haji Tassim Abu Bakar, from the Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, on Saturday 23 October 2021 at 3.00 p.m. MYT/BNT (GMT+8) via Zoom.

Kampong Ayer (or Water Village) in Brunei Darussalam is the earliest floating city in Southeast Asia and the largest in the world. It was the centre of government, administration and trading activities for Brunei Sultanate in the past. Before the 17thC, the resettlement movements of Brunei Sultans initially brought them to Kota Batu, located in the vicinity of Kampong Ayer and Sungai Brunei (Brunei River) which led to steady growth of population in Kampong Ayer and along the inlets of Sungai Brunei, mainly comprised of Brunei Malays. Their traditional houses with distinctive roof designs known as ‘belah bubung’ and ‘belah tungkup’ have experienced rapid changes in style and function since the 1960s. The acceleration of modernity inevitably raises the question of preserving the status of Kampong Ayer that connects the identity of the people to the history of their descent, culture, and way of life.

The Speaker, Dr. Haji Tassim Haji Abu Bakar is Director and Senior Assistant Professor of the Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. He received his PhD in Settlement Studies from University Malaya in 2012 and between 2014 and 2015, he was a post-doctoral scholar at Ohio University, Athens, and a visiting scholar at East-West Center, University of Hawai’i, Honolulu. His specialisation areas include education, socio-culture and resettlement, Malay Islamic Monarchy with particular reference to education and media and cultural heritage of the Kampong Ayer Malays. He is widely published and has served as associate editor for the Journal of History Education and Historical Studies since 2013.

The Moderater, Dr Asiyah az-Zahra Ahmad K*mpoh, is Assistant Professor in History, at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Her current research and publications focus

The talk will be bilingual: Bahasa Melayu & English

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92580178679

Meeting ID: 925 8017 8679

**IMPORTANT**

Please note that for urgent personal reasons, Mr Woo K*m Wah, who has served MBRAS for many years, has been obliged to resign at short notice.

We have set up a new email: [email protected]

Please use this for all future communications with the Society.

If you have sent any emails to the old email address, [email protected], which have not been answered, please resend to the above address and we will deal with them as swiftly as possible.

Dato’ Henry Barlow
Honorary Treasurer

The Straits of Malacca: A Cartographic Journey Through History using Nautical Charts by Mr Julian Candiah

TALK via Zoom (100 places available)
On the Saturday 29th May 2021 at 3.00 pm
Organized by Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society

To register please e-mail [email protected] by 27th May 2021. Participation is on a first-come-first served basis, with places limited to 100.

Deepest Condolences to our International Advisory Council Member and former Vice-President Professor Wang Gungwu and his family on the loss of Mrs Margaret Wang.

Happy New Year everyone. Here is hoping 2020 brings all of us happiness and good health.

Wishing all our Muslim friends a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!