Call for Papers “May 13, 1969: An International Symposium on Post-513 Malaysian Literatures and Cultural Articulations”

Time: 13 – 14 May, 2019

Venue: LA Room 7006, College of Liberal Arts, National Sun Yat-sen University

Organizer: Center for the Humanities, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung.

May 13, 1969 is an important date in the history of Malaysia. A bloody communal riot broke out that day in Kuala Lumpur, which is the most serious racial conflict since the country formed the federation in 1963. Consequently, the government declared emergency and curfew was practiced in several cities. This tragic “May 13 Incident” influences the development of Malaysia a great deal. Its racial relationship, social structure, cultural policy, educational design, economic agenda are all influenced by the incident.  In the past fifty years, the specter of May 13 has almost been omnipresent in every aspect of Malaysian life. The so-called “the era of Mahathir” is actually a post-May 13 era.

May 13, 2019 is the fiftieth anniversary of the May 13 Incident. The Center for Humanities of NSYSU will host an international conference to reflect and explore the historical significance of the event and how Malaysians, especially the non-Bumi communities, are haunted by its specter. The main concern of the conference is of course literature and cultural articulation. The conference’s working language is Chinese and English. We welcome abstracts of 400 words in English and 500 in Chinese. Please send your abstract to: chscaa@mail.nsysu.edu.tw.

Important dates: Deadline for abstract submission: December 31, 2018 

Notification of acceptance: January 10, 2019 

Deadline for full paper submission: April 25, 2019