Founded in 2016, Imagined Malaysia is a research organisation committed to calling to attention the alternative history of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. We have organised countless forums and dialogues, exhibitions, and published the annual IM Review in an effort to push historical discourse in Malaysia. We hope to participate in the effort of creating public awareness and education about the differing narratives and stories that may be omitted from the official/master history. This is to not only change our understanding of the nation’s history, but to deepen and evolve it to have a more inclusive and rich discourse.

The crucial point for us to organise this project is to address some of the present concerns regarding historical literacy in Malaysia. There is a lack of contestation in the perspective of historical events taking place at the current moment in the public sphere – whether in the form of writing, lectures or even debates. Hence, we wish to re-popularise interest in attaining knowledge by drawing means of what the region’s intellectual history has to offer. In the long run, we hope that this will be a platform that promotes the role of activist-historians in public education as well as a source of encouragement and inspiration for Malaysian youth to have a critical appreciation for history.

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