Arabia and Asia have been linked for centuries through trade, religion, food, culture, kinship across the Indian Ocean and the overland routes between West and East Asia. The Muhammad Alagil Chair in Arabia Asia Studies at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, is dedicated to researching the rich history of these connections. They have shaped the societies of Arabia and Asia profoundly, and provide insight into the course such relations may take in future generations. We invite you to explore some examples of these connections through the conferences and books on this site. Archival materials, dissertations and other materials will be made available — please check back for updates!
Recent Posts
::Roundtable:: Invoking the Invisible in the Sahara, 24 Oct 2024
ARABIA ASIA TRANSREGIONAL STUDIES ROUNDTABLE The fourth roundtable discussed the book, Invoking the Invisible in the Sahara: Islam, Spiritual Mediation, and Social Change, by Erin Pettigrew. The Arabia Asia Transregional Studies Roundtable Series, organized by the Muhammad Alagil Distinguished Chair, meets to discuss challenges and solutions in research and publishing on all aspects of Arabia Asia … Continue reading ::Roundtable:: Invoking the Invisible in the Sahara, 24 Oct 2024
ARABIA ASIA ARCHIVES
Since its establishment in 2014, the Alagil chair has been collaborating with researchers, affiliates and students to build up archives of primary materials in the field of Arabia Asia studies. In view of providing access to many important but hitherto neglected indigenous sources in the field, the chair digitized many manuscripts and documents in private … Continue reading ARABIA ASIA ARCHIVES
::Roundtable:: Miracles and Material Life, 20 March 2024
ARABIA ASIA TRANSREGIONAL STUDIES ROUNDTABLE The third Arabia Asia Transregional Studies Roundtable discussed the fascinating book, Miracles and Material Life: Rice, Ore, Traps and Guns in Islamic Malaya, Cambridge University Press 2020 by Teren Sevea on 20 March 2024 @ 21.30 SGT. The Arabia Asia Transregional Studies Roundtable Series, organized by the Muhammad Alagil Distinguished … Continue reading ::Roundtable:: Miracles and Material Life, 20 March 2024
Looking for Law in all the Wrong Places, by Fahad Bishara
“Thinking about law and debt, too, forced me to contend with the question of who the agents of legal history were, in both the commercial spaces of the Indian Ocean and within the jurisdictions that the British Empire established for itself in the region.” Fahad Bishara on his scholarly journey to the book, A Sea … Continue reading Looking for Law in all the Wrong Places, by Fahad Bishara