Think Beyond Borders: Malay Studies at NUS
News and Recent Posts
Songbirds in a Garden City
Singapore’s transformation into the metropolis it is today has drastically reduced its forest cover. Despite this, migrant and indigenous songbirds have adapted to Singapore’s environment since the 1950s, cementing their ecological role as a lasting feature of the island. In ‘Songbirds in a Garden City’, the sixth chapter of Singaporean Creatures: Histories of Humans and […]
Malayo-Islamic Aesthetics in Singapore: Continuation and Shifts Through Place and Architectural Histories, Collections, and Curatorial Dimensions
‘Malayo-Islamic Aesthetics in Singapore: Continuation and Shifts through Place and Architectural Histories, Collections, and Curatorial Dimensions’ is a research project led by Assistant Professor Imran bin Tajudeen (NUS Malay Studies & NUS Architecture) and supported by the National Heritage Board’s Heritage Research Grant (2025-2027). The project examines the historical continuities and transformations of Malayo-Islamic aesthetics […]
NUS Songket Day explores historical and cultural significance of traditional Malay textile
Featuring NUS Malay Studies and the NUS Malay Studies Society.
Muslim cosmopolitanism in Southeast Asia: Marketplaces as sites of interaction and integration
From Tanah Abang, Southeast Asia’s largest textile market in Jakarta, Indonesia, to the Geylang Serai market in Singapore, markets have always been more than just centres of trade. People of all backgrounds come together at marketplaces and learn the subtleties of their respective cultures through cross-cultural interactions while appreciating each other’s differences and commonalities. For […]