Philippine Historical Association to host int'l conference on SE Asia in 15th-19th centuries

As the international community is slated to celebrate the Quincentennial of the First Circumnavigation of the World in 1521 next year, the Philippine Historical Association (PHA) will host an international conference together with the Malaysian Historical Society (PSM) and the Society of Indonesian Historians (MSI) that will look at Southeast Asia at the time of our early contact with Europeans: the world we used to have, our interconnectedness with each other through the maritime culture, and how contact with colonialism changed the dynamics of power, economy and culture in what would be known as the Malay world. 

PHA President Dr. Ma. Luisa Camagay and Vice President Dr. Fernando Santiago, Jr., the Conference Convenor, are inviting historians, researchers, history/social science educators and the interested public to the Seventh International Conference of the International Council for Historical and Cultural Cooperation-Southeast Asia (ICHCC-SEA) with the theme “Arrivals, Conflict, and Transformation in Maritime Southeast Asia (c. 1400-1800)” on October 29-31, 2020.

For this event, the ICHCC-SEA partnered with National Quincentennial Committee (NQC), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the De La Salle University-Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (DLSU-SEARCH) and the University of San Carlos, among others.  This is the first PHA Conference that will be held completely online.

Among the plenary speakers will be Farish Noor, PhD of the Nanyang Technological University Singapore, one of the leading public intellectuals in the region who will discuss the entanglement of Southeast Asia in the wars of Europe. Dr. Ariel Lopez of the University of the Philippines Diliman will talk about Sulu and Maguindanao in the Malay-Indonesian world. Ambeth Ocampo will give a presentation about how the old colonial maps helped define what would become the Filipino nation. Dr. Jose Victor Torres will give an insider look at the difference between the Mojares panel’s investigation into the 1521 First Easter Mass from the others that came before it. Pioneer Filipino food historian Felice Prudente Sta. Maria will spice up the conference with a talk on the role of food in the first encounter of the early Filipinos with the Europeans in 1521. Malaysian historian Dr. Ahmad Murad Merican and Indonesian historians Dr. Andi Achdian and Dr. Gani A. Jaelani will join our distinguished panel of international plenary speakers.

Other panel speakers who submitted their papers from here and abroad will talk about trade, migration and other connections between Southeast Asian peoples. Public Historian Xiao Chua will be hosting a session giving an introduction to the National Quincentennial Commemorations of 2021 and the teaching materials that were created to help teach this part of our history to our students.  He will also be talking to NQC Secretariat Ian Christopher Alfonso and Dr. Jobers Reynes Bersales of San Carlos University.

Previous ICHCC-SEA conferences have been held in Manila, Philippines; Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Bali, Indonesia.  Three places in this countries:  Mactan (Cebu), Malacca (Malaysia) and Malucco/Moluccas (Indonesia) were important in the historic Magellanic journey that happened in 1521, almost 500 years ago.

In this time of the pandemic, the PHA and its partners decided to open this three-day international conference free to the public as a form of service to our nation via Facebook Live at the Philippine Historical Association (PHA), National Quincentennial Committee (NQC), DLSU-Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (DLSU-SEARCH), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Education (DepEd) Facebook pages.

But those who will be needing certificates will have to register to attend the zoom meeting and will pay PHP 500.00, inclusive of an annual PHA membership.* The registration link is https://bit.ly/2T9HVlj.

For more information and the complete program flow, please look at the Philippine Historical Association Facebook page.

In understanding the impact of the events in 1521 and beyond in Southeast Asia, we better understand ourselves as a nation and the relevance of our ASEAN connectedness and integration.

*Active PHA Members are entitled to participate in discussions via Zoom and to receive e-certificates upon registration. For Non-PHA members, a Php 500.00 fee (+/- $10 USD) is required, inclusive of a 1-year membership. If you prefer a lifetime membership, the cost is Php 2,500.00 (+/- 50 USD). The last day of payment is October 28, 2020.

Payment Options:

BDO Account Name: PHILIPPINE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION INC, Account Number: 004550003718.

GCash: 09178059141

PAYPAL: pha2020conferencepaypal@gmail.com

Please send a copy of the deposit slip/proof of payment to PHA Treasurer, Arlene D. Calara, Ph.D. through pha2020conference@gmail.com.