Program

Majid Daneshgar (Associate Professor, Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University)
“Malay Persianate Poetic Anthologies and the Rise of an Inclusive Archipelago”

Abstract

The role played by Persian materials in Malay-Indonesian history and literature has been the subject of scholarly debates since the late 19th century. However, whether Malays were interested in or able to produce purely Persian works in the heart of Southeast Asia remained unanswered. Through this lecture, Daneshgar demonstrates that Malays not only read and recited Persian poetic lines but also produced several poetic anthologies in the Persian language for more than four hundred years. This research will also highlight how Persianism used to be welcomed in scholarly and public Malay spheres.