Tribute to Dr. Shaharil Talib

H-SEAsia Tribute to Dr. Shaharil Talib

Discussion published by Ma. Mercedes G. Planta on Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Prof. Dato’ Dr. Shaharil Talib passed away on 24 July 2018.

Prof. Dato’ Dr. Shaharil Talib was an eminent scholar and one of the leading historians of his generation, both of colonial Malaya and Southeast Asia. After obtaining his PhD at Monash University he joined the Southeast Asian Studies Department of the University of Malaya (UM) to become Professor and Head of Department. It was at the UM where he spent more than 30 years of his academic life.

A self-confessed Marxist who became a prominent member of a radical group of Malay historians in the 1970s and 1980s, the period considered the height of nationalism in the Southeast Asian region, his most significant publication, set in the east coast of the Malay Peninsula,After Its Own Image: The Terengganu Experience, 1881-1941 (Oxford University Press, 1984), remains a masterly and unrivaled study of the resilience of an elite ruling class in the cusp of change and the continued existence of such ruling class in contemporary Malaysian society.

Prior to international collaborations as a significant undertaking of major universities in the region, Prof. Shaharil was already a pioneer in the field. In recognition of his scholarship and vision, he was appointed Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Institute of the UM, where he crafted and developed innovative international postgraduate social science courses and academic, scholar, and student exchanges from Europe and Asia.

Prof. Shaharil also drafted the original blueprint of the Southeast Asian Regional Exchange Program (SEASREP) to promote Southeast Asian studies in the region through language training, postgraduate study, collaborative research, and various other forms of regional exchange. For almost 20 years now SEASREP is the only organization of its kind in Southeast Asia.

A generous friend and colleague, inspiring teacher, dedicated scholar, visionary, and mentor to many of us in the historical discipline and Southeast Asian Studies, Prof. Shaharil, our “Man in Black”, for it was the only color he wore, was also a lover of cricket, tennis, theater, dance, durian, and the heliconia, especially the rostrata variety.

We are already missing him.

Publications:

Books

Interrogating the state and craft of history: The Malaysian historiographical journey. Kuala Lumpur: Asia‐Europe Institute, 2005.

The royal families of South East Asia, Selangor, Shahindera. With Jeffrey Finestone. Selangor: Shahindera Sdn. Bhd., 2002

Citation: Ma. Mercedes G. Planta. Tribute to Dr. Shaharil Talib. H-SEAsia. 07-25-2018. https://networks.h-net.org/node/11444/discussions/2100231/tribute-dr-shaharil-talib Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-SEAsia

History of Kelantan, 1890‐1940. Monographs of the Malaysian Branch, Royal Asiatic Society: no. 21, 1995.

The legends of Langkawi. Singapore: Hoffer Publications, 1994.

The accumulation of wealth Batu Pahat district, Johor, 1900‐1941. Kyoto: The Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, 1990.

Tuhfat Al‐Nafis: Naskhah Terengganu. Kuala Terengganu: The House of Tengku Ismail, 1991.

Syarahan Perdana: 25 Tahun Pertama Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial, Universiti Malaya. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 1988.

After its own image: The Trengganu experience, 1881–1941. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1984.

Articles and book chapters

“Fluidity and fixity in the making of Southeast Asia.” In Azizan Baharuddin and Faridah Noor Mohd Noor, eds, Occidentalism and orientalism: Reflections of the East and the perceptions of the West. Kuala Lumpur: Centre for Civilisational Dialogue, University of Malaya, 2008, pp. 131‐48.

“Colonial knowledge and Malaysia society: Reappropriating the epistemological space." In A.B. Lapian, ed., Arung Samudera, Pusat Penelitian Kemasyarakatan dan Budaya. Indonesia: Lembaga Penelitian Universitas Indonesia, 2001, pp.771‐782.

“Bichara: Western human rights and Asian values." InThe Asiatic archipelago: History beyond boundaries. Jati: Ogos, 1997.

“Post‐graduate research in Southeast Asian studies: An open agenda." In Jati, Disember 1996, Bil. 2.

“Twentieth century capitalism in Southeast Asia: The balance sheet." In Jati, Disember 1996, Bil. 2.

“Singapore (1824‐1958): This is my island in the sun." In Jati, September 1995.

“Getting off the yellow brick road: Measurement and definitional issues in poverty." InJati , September 1995, Bil. 1