Nostalgia in Waiting: How the Visuals of Empire Inform Southeast Asians' Perception and Representation of Themselves Today by Professor Farish A. Noor

The History Department and the Ateneo Initiative for Southeast Asian Studies (AISEAS) present “Nostalgia in Waiting: How the Visuals of Empire Inform Southeast Asians' Perception and Representation of Themselves Today” by Professor Farish A. Noor. This will be held on November 25, 2024, at Leong Hall 206 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

Abstract: Tourism is a major source of revenue for all of the countries of Southeast Asia today, though the human and environmental costs of mass tourism has been debated at length by numerous scholars. This talk will look at the visuals of Southeast Asian tourism today, and address the enduring legacy of the visuals of Empire. We will look at colonial postcards and photography in British Malaya in particular, and examine how the notion of the exotic East that appeared in the early 20th century continues to be reactivated in present-day representations of the country and its people.

Farish A. Noor is a professor of Politics and Political Science at the Faculty of Social Sciences, at the International Islamic University of Indonesia/ Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia UIII. His main area of research and writing is colonial Southeast Asia in the 19th century, with a particular focus on the workings of the discourse of racialised colonial capitalism. His fields of study include conflict processes, international relations, cultural history, philosophy history, and discourse analysis. His areas of expertise encompass Southeast Asian history, Asian studies, and 19th-century history.

Slots for the event are limited. Attendees will be prioritized on a first-come, first-serve basis