(January 2007)
Date : 7 – 8 August 2007
Venue : School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Organizer : Asia-Pacific Research Unit (APRU), School of Humanities, Universiti Sains
Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
This SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS (January 2007) follows the initial announcement in September 2006. We thanked those who had expressed their intention to participate, others who submitted abstracts, and the many inquiries regarding various matters. After considering numerous aspects including some drawn from suggestions from potential participants we have decided to shift forward the date of the conference from the original 17-18 August 2007 to 7-8 AUGUST 2007. It is hoped that this new date will further encourage many more participants . Likewise the deadline for abstracts is extended from 31 January 2007 to 30 MARCH 2007.
The submission date for working papers is also extended to 15 JUNE 2007. The IMPORTANT DEADLINES are summarized below:
Conference Dates : 7 (Tuesday) – 8 (Wednesday) August 2007
Venue : School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Abstract Deadline : 30 March 2007
Deadline for Working Papers : 15 June 2007
Theme of the Conference
Independence and After in Southeast Asia: Old and New Interpretations
The region of what is today referred to as Southeast Asia is home to eleven sovereign nation states, viz. Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand (formerly Siam), Laos,
Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, and Timor
Leste. Except for the newly independent Timor Leste, the remaining aforesaid countries comprise members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) that was

established in 1967. The combination of sustained economic growth, comparative political stability, regional cooperation in the spirit of ASEAN, and an overall gradual rise in the standard of living across the region portends well for a promising future for
Southeast Asia.
The year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of Merdeka (independence) for Malaysia.
Malaysia’s attainment of political independence from British colonial rule in August
1957 was through constitutional means with the smooth handing over of sovereignty and administration from the British government to Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the prime minister and architect of Merdeka A decade earlier, two other fellow nations achieved their freedom but through bloodshed in the process, namely Burma (1946) and the Philippines (1946). Indonesia was plunged into a conflict of nearly half a decade before independence became a reality. The Indochina states of Laos and Cambodia, with the status of French colonial protectorates, became sovereign states in 1954.
Neighbouring Vietnam, however, had to struggle for many more decades before it finally achieved its independence. The city-state of Singapore gained independence from colonial rule through merging with Malaysia in 1963; two years later (1965) Singapore seceded from the Federation of Malaysia to chart its own course. The Sultanate of Brunei finally decided to stand on its own as a sovereign nation in 1984 since becoming a British protectorate nearly a century ago. The notable exception – thanks to the then geopolitical circumstances and prudent native leaders – is Thailand, which escaped the European shackles of colonial domination by remaining the only independent, sovereign nationstate in the region. Timor Leste was the most recent in 2002 to be freed from a colonizing power.
The discourse of nations achieving political independence and the characterization of the years that followed as the "postcolonial" period has long been a mainstay of the academic agenda in studies of Southeast Asia, particularly in the disciplines of history, political science, economics, literature and language, anthropology, and sociology. The road to independence was often long and arduous. The years following the attainment of national sovereignty were equally troublesome and problematic with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Whilst Malaysia faced the sensitive issue of managing race relations, the
Philippines struggled with a leftist insurgency, and Thailand’s see-saw with weak civilian governments and military juntas. Meanwhile Myanmar was secluded under a military dictatorship, and Cambodia’s nightmare following the establishment of a genocidal regime. The ups and downs of nation-building, the maintenance of political stability and economic sustainability are but some of the major issues that faced post-independent nation-states of Southeast Asia.
AN INVITATION
We extend a cordial invitation to scholars and academics from all disciplines and from all nations to come together at this international scholarly forum to not only present their viewpoints, arguments or contentions but also to participate and contribute in discussions and other academic discourse. Your presence will further help spur academic

collaboration in joint research, publication projects, and promote the all important camaraderie of fellow academicians and enjoin friendship.
Individual Participants : Individuals are invited to present a 20-minute working paper relevant to any aspect of the conference’s theme. They are requested to submit an abstract
(150-200 words) to the Secretariat (see below).
Specialized Panels : Scholars who wish to organize a panel (4-5 presenters; 1-hour per panel) based on a particular topic relevant to the conference’s overall theme are to submit to the Secretariat the following materials:
Proposed Panel:
Convenor / Panelist I:
Panelist II:
Abstract (350-400 words)
Abstract (150-200 words)
Abstract (150-200 words)
Fee Structure
Registration Fee
Student *
Non-Participant
Panelist III:
Panelist IV:
Panelist V:
--
--
--
USD $ 100.00
USD $ 50.00
USD $ 50.00
Abstract (150-200 words)
Abstract (150-200 words)
Abstract (150-200 words)
* An official letter of a university or institution is required to establish the status of
‘student’ (undergraduate or postgraduate).
Organizing Committee
Associate Professor Dr OOI Keat Gin (Chairperson)
( kgooi@hotmail.com
), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Dr SHAKILA Abdul Manan (Secretary) ( shakila@usm.my
)
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Dr. Raja Rozina Raja Sulaiman (Secretary) ( rrozina@usm.my
)
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Further Information
The Conference Secretariat
The Second International Conference (2APRU)
Asia-Pacific Research Unit (APRU)
School of Humanities,
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 Penang

Malaysia
Tel: 604 6533888 Ext. 3377; Fax: 604 6563707
E-mail: rrozina@usm.my
, shakila@usm.my
Website: http://www.hum.usm.my/apru.asp
Or http://www.hum.usm.my/apru_web/
---------- oo00oo ----------