Prof Farish Noor explores how the colonial gaze continue to shape Southeast Asian identities

Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of History, in collaboration with the Ateneo Initiative for Southeast Asian Studies (AISEAS), hosted the public lecture “Nostalgia in Waiting: How the Visuals of Empire Inform Southeast Asians' Perception and Representation of Themselves Today.” The lecture featured Professor Farish A Noor, a distinguished scholar of Southeast Asian history and postcolonial studies who is currently serving as a professor of politics and political science at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII). The event took place on Monday, 25 November 2024, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM at LH 206, Ricardo and Dr Rosita Leong Hall.

Professor Noor’s talk examined the continuing influence of colonial-era visual culture on contemporary Southeast Asian identity. He explored how historical imagery — from colonial-era photography to modern-day postcards — has played a significant role in shaping the collective memory, national narratives, and self-perception of Southeast Asians today.

In his public lecture, Prof Noor discussed how Southeast Asians are in a state of what he referred to as "nostalgia in waiting," where, despite the formal end of colonial rule, the visual representations of the colonized land continue to shape how Southeast Asians perceive their own histories and identities. He argued that these enduring images of imperial control not only preserve colonial stereotypes but also perpetuate the "othering" of the Southeast Asian native, both within the region and beyond. In discussing these visual legacies, Professor Noor emphasized how they continue to shape cultural and psychological experiences, as Southeast Asians continue to grapple with historical trauma and confront the lingering effects of Western imperialism.