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Confucius Institute and Academy of Arts and Creative Technology (ASTiF) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) will jointly organize the 25th Land Below the Wind Talk at Theatrette Ahmad Nisfu, ASTiF, UMS this 18 March.
The organizer has invited Associate Professor Dr. Shanthini Pillai from National University of Malaysia (UKM) to deliver her talk entitled “Diaspora, resilience and the Chinese in war-torn Malaya: A lesser-known perspective from a French Missionary”.
According to a statement from CI@UMS, Dr. Shanthini Pillai is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia (UKM).
“Her research interests are anchored primarily in cultural studies with reference to diaspora and transnationalism, ethnic diversity, and religious mobilities, especially in the context of global South Asian communities.
“She holds Research Fellowships at the University of Queensland, Australia and the Asia Research Institute, Singapore and currently head a research project on diaspora, religious mobilities and the French Missionaries in colonial Malaya.
“She published widely in her area of expertise, with recent work was included in the Social Sciences and Missions, The International Journal of the Sociology of Language, SOJOURN and The Australian Journal of Anthropology,” according to the statement.
CI@UMS statement also mention that the talk focuses on a lesser-known perspective of life in war-torn Malaya, using the recent English translation of a diary by one of the directors of a French administered Catholic Seminary.
“The diary, written in and of Penang during the Japanese Occupation is a valuable collection of day-to-day entries, not only for its revelations of life for the seminarians who were enrolled in the institution, but also to the local domestic help engaged over the years, most of whom were of Chinese heritage.
“There are also numerous references to the engagement between the French and the founding Chinese merchant community, especially in the context of trade and real estate.
“Drawing on these and other imprints of the Chinese community in the diary entries, the talk reflects on the thematic of diaspora, resilience, and other alternative trajectories of life for the community in Japanese-occupied Malaya.
The 25th Land Below the Wind Talk is opened to the public with free of charge and will be conducted in English.
All are welcome to participate, kindly scan the QR code from the poster to register for the talk. For those who select to attend the talk Online also can scan the QR code from the poster.