Awaken the Historical Buff - Public Lectures in Singapore

by J.D.Wen (subscribe)

Love history? Awaken the historical buff in you!

Are you curious why the early Arab settlements were connected to Balestier? Balestier is presently well known as a Chinese food paradise in Singapore particularly "bak kut teh" (Chinese style pork ribs soup). Come and listen as Dr. Mariam Aljunied retells her family history from Yemen to Singapore in the time span of almost 200 years and racial harmonies maintained by this prominent family who was back then known as rich merchant and landlord over many properties across the island.

"The Aljunieds in Singapore"

Speaker: Dr. Mariam Aljunied
Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 12 Tai Gin Road, Singapore 327874
Time: 12 March 2016 2.30pm to 4pm

Interested to find out why the Straits Chinese and the Elites in Singapore were into China affairs during the British colonial era?
ACM-NUS Department of Chinese Studies presents a lecture by Wong Sin Kiong, an Associate Professor in NUS with interests in ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. He will elaborate on how some prominent Peranakans and English-educated elites who were heavily involved in the Chinese clans and associations, and on why they were interested in China's affairs during periods China was ruled by the Manchurian Qing Dynasty. You could find out more by visiting Sun Yat Sen Nan Nanyang Memorial Hall.

"When Raffles "met" Confucius: Peranakans, the English-educated, and their interactions with the Chinese
Speaker: Associate Professor Wong Sin Kiong

Venue: Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555
Time: 19 March 2016 2.30pm to 4pm
The talk will be conducted in Mandarin.




Wonder were the connections between Singapore as a maritime hub and foreign artists in the past centuries? Daphne Ang who is a doctorate candidate in the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS), University of London, will give a lecture in conjunction with "Great Peranakans" exhibition. As Singapore is an important port for regional trades since early colonial ruling, artists often transited here too.

"Great Patrons and Artists of Colonial Singapore: New Research on Singapore art history"
Speaker: Daphne Ang
Venue: Ixora Room, Peranakan Museum, 39 Armenian Street, Singapore 179941
Time: 23 March 2016 7pm to 8.30pm


Southeast Asian Ceramic Society presents "By Land or Sea: Ceramics and Silk". Professor Wang Gungwu, the Indonesian-born scholar, is one of the most historians in Asia with specialization on the history of Chinese diaspora in the region, the history and civilisation of China and Southeast Asia. He will elaborate his current theory on the ancient multi-continentals trade.

Speaker: Professor Wang Gungwu
Venue: Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555
Time: 16 March 2016 7pm to 8.30pm


Have you heard about the Silk Road? Find out more "Silk Road by the Sea" by attending to this lecture. Singapura was already a port for merchants from as far as Arab, China, Persia from the 14th century to the 17th century. Raffles revived the status by establishing the free port and with the hard work of Farquhar.
Dr. John is a lecturer in the Southeast Asian Studies Department, National University of Singapore.

"The Maritime Silk Road – A Singapore Point of View"
Speaker: Professor John N. Miksic
Venue: Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555
Time: 18 March 2016 7pm to 8.30pm

The Vietnam War was a war fought by Vietnam of three different flags between North, South and Viet Cong. Democratic Republic of Vietnam known also as 'North' was supported by USSR, China, and other communist allies while Republic of Vietnam (South) was funded by USA and other anti-communist allies. The Việt Cộng or the National Liberation Front was an organization consist of southern Vietnamese communist members who fought guerrilla wars against South and USA, and was finally resolved in 1976 after the communist won the war.

The museum currently shows "Vietnam 1954-1975: War Drawings and Posters from the Ambassador Dato' N. Parameswaran Collection. Dr. Lockhart will be the speaker in relation of the Vietnam War with these collections. He had taught in Hanoi for 3 years and has been teaching in Singapore for almost 18 years.

Vietnam: Three Flags, Three "Nations", One War
Speaker: Associate Professor Bruce Lockhart
Venue: NUS Museum, 50 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119279
Time: 16 March 7pm to 8pm

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When: March 2016

Where: Various venues - see above

Cost: Varies