Malay Studies
On this page:
- History of the Chair of Malay Studies
- Duties and Responsibilities of the Chair
- Mission Statement of the Chair
- Current Activities
- Research Fund
History of the Chair of Malay Studies
The Chair of Malay Studies (CMS) at Victoria University of Wellington was inaugurated in March 1996 by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Sponsorship for the Chair was obtained through the governments of Malaysia and New Zealand with the support of private companies in both countries. Professor Hood Salleh from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) took up his position as the first Chair from 1997 to 2000.
The current Chair - Professor Wan Rafaei.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Chair
The duties and responsibilities of the Chair are to:
- teach Malay studies with particular emphasis on courses in his or her areas of specialisation
- carry out and to promote research in one or more fields related to Malay studies
- assist in the supervision of students undertaking research projects relating to Malaysia, or bilateral relationships between Malaysia and New Zealand
- promote understanding and to advance relationships between Malaysia and New Zealand through the arranging of seminars, conferences, guest lectures and exchanges.
Mission Statement of the Chair
To create greater awareness and understanding in New Zealand of Malaysia, its people, history, geography, politics, economy, art and culture and language, through research; supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students; giving, arranging and facilitate lectures including guest lectures from both countries and seminars in New Zealand universities; and scheduled outreach programmes.
Current Activities
For details of current and recent activities including teaching, research, networking and the annual Saad lecture, please see the report in the table below. Photos of the events can be found in the appendix of the report.
All PDF documents require Acrobat Reader.
| Document | File size | File type |
|---|---|---|
 Chair of Malay Studies Report and Appendix |
4.6 MB |
Research Fund
CMS has a small research fund and invites students and academic staff to do research in Malaysia. The research fund is advertised early in the year. CMS hopes to do an International Seminar early next Year on Malay, Māori and Pacific Islanders culture.