Prof. Dr. Syed Farid Alatas

Prof.Dr. Syed Farid Alatas

Data Diri

Nama lengkap, Syed Farid Alatas, Professor, Department of Sociology National University of Singapore, 11 Arts Link, Singapore 117570, e-mail: alatas@nus.edu.sg

CURRENT AFFILIATION

Primary affiliation: Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National Unversity of Singapore. Secondary affiliations: Department of Malay Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore; University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore

WORKING LANGUAGES

Malay/Indonesian, English, French, Dutch, Persian, Arabic.

FIELDS OF INTEREST

Philosophy and sociology of social science, social theory, the state and practice of the social sciences, teaching of classical sociology, sociology of Islam, classical Islamic thought, study of Muslim revival, intra-Muslim sectarianism, inter-religious dialogue.

PUBLICATIONS

Books

1. Democracy and Authoritarianism: The Rise of the Post-Colonial State in Indonesia and Malaysia, Houndmills: Macmillan; New York: St Martins, 1997.
2. Alternative Discourses in Asian Social Science: Responses to Eurocentrism, New Delhi: Sage, 2006.
3. An Islamic Comittment to Inter-Religious Dialogue, Kuala Lumpur: International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, 2008, 63 p.
4. Diskursus Alternatif Dalam Ilmu Sosial Asia: Tanggapan terhadap Eurosentrisme, Jakarta: Mizan Publika, 2010 (Indonesian translation of Alternative Discourses in Asian Social Science: Responses to Eurocentrism).
5. Goftemanha-ye Jayigozarin dar Olum-e Ejtemaiy-e Asiyai, Tehran: Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, 2012. (Persian translation of Alternative Discourses in Asian Social Science: Responses to Eurocentrism). Goftemanha-ye Digarwareh dar Olum-e Ejtemaiy-e Asiya: Pasukhhayeh beh Orupamehvari, Tehran: Institute of Cultural and Social Studies, 2014 (Persian translation of Alternative Discourses in Asian Social Science: Responses to Eurocentrism includes an additional chapter on Iranian sociology that was not published in original English edition).

6. Ibn Khaldun, (Makers of Islamic Civilization Series), Oxford: Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies; New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2013.
7. Applying Ibn Khaldun: The Recovery of a Lost Tradition in Sociology, London: Routledge, 2014.
8. Sociological Theory Beyond the Canon (with Vineeta Sinha), PalgraveMacmillan, 2017.
9. Sosyal Bilimlerde Alternatif Söylemler: Avrupamerkezciliğe Cevaplar, Ankara: Matbu, 2016. (Turkish language translation of my Alternative Discourses in Asian Social Science: Responses to Eurocentrism)
10. Turkish language translation of my Applying Ibn Khaldun: The Recovery of a Lost Tradition in Sociology. Forthcoming by Kure Yayinlari, Istanbul.
11. Ibn Khaldun: Biografi Intelektual dan Pemikiran Sang Pelopor Sosiologi, Jakarta: Mizan Publika, 2017. (Indonesian language translation of my Ibn Khaldun)
12. Ibn Khaldun, Beirut: Naama Centre for Research and Sudies, 2017. (Arabic language translation of my Ibn Khaldun)

Edited Books

Syed Farid Alatas, ed., (2001) Reflections on Alternative Discourses from Southeast Asia, Proceedings of the ISA (International Sociological Association) Regional Conference for Southeast Asia, Singapore, 30 May – 1 June 1998.
Syed Farid Alatas, Lim Teck Ghee & Kazuhide Kuroda, eds., (2003) Asian Interfaith Dialogue: Perspectives on Religion, Education and Social Cohesion, Singapore: Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA); World Bank.
Jan van Bremen, Eyal Ben-Ari & Syed Farid Alatas, eds., (2005) Asian Anthropology, London: Routledge.
Syed Farid Alatas, ed., (2005) Covering Islam: Challenges and Opportunities for Media in the Global Village, Singapore: Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA); Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
Syed Farid Alatas, ed., (2009) Muslim Reform in Southeast Asia: Perspectives from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, Singapore: Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, 2009.
Kathinka Sinha-Kerkhoff & Syed Farid Alatas, eds., (2010) Academic Dependency in the Social Sciences: Structural Reality and Intellectual Challenges, New Dehi: Manohar.

Journal Special Issues

Syed Farid Alatas, ed., (1997) “Asia”, Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, Vol 23(1-2) (special issue on Asian political economy).
Syed Farid Alatas ed., (2000) Alternative Discourses in the Social Sciences in Asia, Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science, Vol. 28(1).
Syed Farid Alatas, ed., (2006) The Idea of Autonomous Sociology: Reflections on the State of the Discipline, Current Sociology 54 (1).
Syed Farid Alatas, ed. (2007) Globalization and Muslim Religious Resurgence: Asian Responses, The Muslim World 97(3).
Syed Farid Alatas, ed. (2010). Asian Journal of Social Science 38. Special Focus on Said Nursi.
Syed Farid Alatas, ed., (2016) Ibn Khaldun: Theory and Methodology. Journal of Historical Sociology, vol. 30(1), 2017.

Articles in refereed journals

1985 “Notes on Various Theories Regarding the Islamization of the Malay Archipelago”, Muslim World 75, 3-4: 162-75.
1987 “An Islamic Common Market and Economic Development”, Islamic Culture 61, 1: 28-38.
1987 “Reflections on the Idea of Islamic Social Science”, Comparative Civilizations Review 17: 60-86.
1990 “Ibn Khaldun and the Ottoman Modes of Production”, Arab Historical Review for Ottoman Studies January: 45-64.
1991 “Notes on Race and Class in Malaysia,” Journal Institute Muslim Minority Affairs (London) 12, 1: 115-26.
1993a “Theoretical Perspectives on the Role of State Elites in Southeast Asian Development”, Contemporary Southeast Asia 14, 4: 368-395.
1993b “On the Indigenization of Academic Discourse” Alternatives 18, 3: 307-338.
1993c “Agama dan Ilmu Kemasyarakatan: Masalah Teoretis (Religion and Social Science: Theoretical Problems)” Jurnal Antropologi dan Sosiologi (Bangi,Malaysia) 20: 129-144. (in Malay)
1993d “A Khaldunian Perspective on the Dynamics of Asiatic Societies”, Comparative Civilizations Review 29: 29-51.
1993e “The Asiatic Mode of Production and the Formative Turkic and Iranian States in Modern Times”, Central Asian Survey 12(4): 473-496.
1994 “The State of Feminist Theory in Malaysia” in Maznah Mohamad & Wong Soak Koon, eds., Feminism: Malaysian Reflections and Experience (special issue of Kajian Malaysia: Journal of Malaysian Studies), 12, 1-2: 25-46.
1995a “The Sacralization of the Social Sciences: A Critique of an Emerging Theme in Academic Discourse”, Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions 91, 1-23.
1995b “Theoretical Perspectives on the Role of State Elites in Southeast Asian Development”, Rahbord (Tehran) 6, 131-162 [Persian translation of my “Theoretical Perspectives on the Role of State Elites”, 1993].
1995c “The Theme of “Relevance” in the Third World Human Sciences”, Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 16, 2, 123-140.
1997 `The Post-Colonial State: Dual Functions in the Public Sphere”, Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 23, 1-2: 285-307.
1998 “Shiveh-ye Towlidi-e Asiayi, Nizam-e Jahani-ye Sarmayehdari va Zuhur-e Dowlat-e Modern dar Iran va Turkiyeh” (The World Capitalist System and the Formation of the Modern Iranian and Turkish States”) Siyasi-Eghtesadi (Political Economy) (Tehran) Part I, n. 135-136: 56-69. Persian language translation of my “The Asiatic Mode of Production and the Formative Turkic and Iranian States in Modern Times”, Central Asian Survey 12(4): 473-496.
1999 “Shiveh-ye Towlidi-e Asiayi, Nizam-e Jahani-ye Sarmayehdari va Zuhur-e Dowlat-e Modern dar Iran va Turkiyeh” (The World Capitalist System and the Formation of the Modern Iranian and Turkish States” Siyasi-Eghtesadi (Political Economy) (Tehran) Part II, n. 137-138: 114-121. Persian language translation of my “The Asiatic Mode of Production and the Formative Turkic and Iranian States in Modern Times”, Central Asian Survey 12(4): 473-496.
1999 “Peranan Negara dan Pembangunan: Ke Arah Sebuah Teori Negara Kleptokratis”, Akademika (Malaysia) 54:3-12. (in Malay)
1999 “Colonization of the Social Sciences and the Structure of Academic Dependency” Replika (Budapest) 38 [in Hungarian].
1999 “The Tariqat al-`Alawiyyah and the Emergence of the Shi`i School in Indonesia and Malaysia”, Oriente Moderno 18, 2, 323-339.
1999 “Islam and Socialism: Perspectives from Autonomous Social Science and Occidentalism”, Yearbook of the Sociology of Islam. Vol. 2, edited by Helmuth Buchholt and Georg Stauth Investigating the South-South Dimension of Modernity and Islam: Circulating Visions, Intellectual Figures, Locations. Lit-Verlag, Hamburg Transactions Publishers, Rutgers University.
1999 “Peranan Negara dan Pembangunan: Ke Arah Sebuah Teori Negara Kleptokratis”, Akademika (Malaysia) 54: 3-12. (in Malay)
1999 “Colonization of the Social Sciences and the Structure of Academic Dependency” Replika 38: 163-179 [in Hungarian].
2000a “Academic Dependency in the Social Sciences: Reflections on India and Malaysia”, American Studies International 38, 2: 80-96.
2000b “An Introduction to the Idea of Alternative Discourses”, Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science 28, 1, 1-12.
2001a “The Study of the Social Sciences in Developing Societies: Towards an Adequate Conceptualization of Relevance”, Current Sociology 49, 2, 1-19.
2001b “Islam, Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial dan Masyarakat Sipil” Antropologi Indonesia (Jakarta) 25 no. 66: 13-22. (in Indonesian)
2001c “Alternative Discourses in Southeast Asia”, SARI 19: 49-67.
2001 (with Vineeta Sinha) “Teaching Classical Sociological Theory in Singapore: The Context of Eurocentrism, Teaching Sociology 29, 3, 316-331.
2002a “Eurocentrism and the Role of the Human Sciences in the Dialogue Among Civilizations”, The European Legacy 7(6).
2002b “The Role of Human Sciences in the Dialogue Among Civilizations”, Development and Society 31(2): 265-279. [Draws heavily from my “Eurocentrism” (2002a) and “India” (2003)]
2003 “Academic Dependency and the Global Division of Labour in the Social Sciences”, Current Sociology 51(6): 599-613.
2006 “From Jāmi’ ah to University: Multiculturalism and Christian–Muslim Dialogue”, Current Sociology 54(1): 112-132. Among the 50 most read articles in Current Sociology during March 2006.
2006a. “A Khaldunian Exemplar for a Historical Sociology for the South”, Current Sociology 54(3): 397-411.
2006b. “Ibn Khaldun and Contemporary Sociology”, International Sociology Review of Books 21(6): 782-795.
2006c. “Ibn Haldun ve Islâm Reformu: Bir Kavramsallaştırmaya Doğru” (“Ibn Khaldun and Muslim Reform: Towards a Conceptualization”) Turkish Journal of Islamic Studies (Istanbul) no. 15-16: 123-136. (in Turkish)
2007a. “Contemporary Muslim Revival: The Case of ‘Protestant Islam’”, The Muslim World, 97(3): 508-520.
2007b. “The Historical Sociology of Muslim Societies: Khaldunian Application”, International Sociology 22(3): 267-288.
2010a. “An Agenda for Nursi Studies: Towards the Construction of a Social Theology”, Asian Journal of Social Science 38(4): 523-531.
2010b. “A definição e os tipos de discursos alternativos”, Estudos históricos (Rio de Janeiro) 23(46): 225-245. (Portuguese translation of my “The Definition and Types of Alternative Discourses”, in Georgette Wang, ed., De-Westernizing Communication Research: Altering Questions and Changing Frameworks, London: Routledge, 2011, pp. 238-253)
2010c. “The Definition and Types of Alternative Discourses”, Idafat: The Arab Journal of Sociology (Beirut) no. 9: 14-31. (Arabic translation of my “The Definition and Types of Alternative Discourses”, in Georgette Wang, ed., De-Westernizing Communication Research: Altering Questions and Changing Frameworks, London: Routledge, 2011, pp. 238-253).
2010d. “Sorunlu ‘Religion’ Kavramı ve Hinduizm Kurgusunun Bîrûnî’ye Atıfla Irdelenmesi” (“Problematizing the Concept of Religion and the Construction of Hinduism with Reference ot Al-Birūnī”), Turkish Journal of Islamic Studies (Istanbul) 23: 1-22.
2013. “The Role of the Human Sciences in the Dialogue for Peace and Harmony”, Journal of Oriental Studies (Tokyo) 52(1): 221-236. (in Japanese)
2015. “Doing Sociology in South East Asia”, Cultural Dynamics 27: 191-202.
2017. “Luxury, State and Society: The Theme of Enslavement in Ibn Khaldun”, Journal of Historical Sociology, vol. 30(1): 67-76.

Articles in non-refereed journals

l989 “Ibn Khaldun and the Modes of Production in Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran”, Alserat (London) 15, 1-2: 3-37.
1994 “Agama dan Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial”, Ulumul Qur’an (Jakarta), 5, 2, 40-47 [Indonesian version of my “Agama dan Ilmu Kemasyarakatan”, 1993].
2000 “Countermodernist Development Theory: The Case of Islamic Economics” The Fount Journal no. 1: 15-36.
2005 “El eurocentrismo y la necesidad de repensar enseñaza de ciencias sociales”, Revista del Sur no. 159. http://old.redtercermundo.org.uy/revista_del_sur/texto_completo.php?id=2751
2008 “Pour sortir de l’eurocentrisme en sciences sociales”, GRESEA Echos – Revue trimestrielle du groupe de recherché pour une stratégie économique alternative no. 56: 12-14.

Chapters in books

1994a “Indigenization and Social Science: The Role of Culture in Development”, in Manwoo Lee, Su-Hoon Lee, Francine Fournier & Tae-Ho Yoo (eds) Culture and Development in a New Era and in a Transforming World, Seoul: Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University & Paris: UNESCO, pp. 79-112 [based on material from my “On the Indigenization”, 1993 and “The Sacralization”, 1995].
1994b (Syed Farid Alatas, Kabiru Kinyanjui, Su-Hoon Lee, and Tae-Ho Yoo) “Major Themes and Recommendations”, in Manwoo Lee, Su-Hoon Lee, Francine Fournier & Tae-Ho Yoo (eds) Culture and Development in a New Era and in a Transforming World, Seoul: Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University & Paris: UNESCO, pp. 291-298.
1997a “Hadhramaut and the Hadhrami Diaspora: Problems in Theoretical History”, in Ulrike Freitag & William G. Clarence-Smith, (eds.), Hadhramaut and the Hadhrami Diaspora, c1750 to c1967, Leiden: E. J. Brill, pp. 19-34.
1997b “Islam and Countermodernism: Towards Alternative Development Paradigms”, in Masudul Alam Choudhury, Abdad M.Z. & Muhammad Syukri Salleh, (eds.), Islamic Political Economy in Capitalist Globalization: An Agenda for Change, Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publications, pp. 67-89.
1998 “Western Theory, East Asian Realities and the Social
Sciences”, in Lee Su-Hoon, ed., Sociology in East Asia and Its Struggle for Creativity, International Sociological Association, pp. 73-82.
1999 “The Myth of the East Asian Miracle: Dependency and Ersatz Capitalism”,in K S Nathan, ed., North America and the Asia-Pacific in the 21st Century: Challenges and Prospects for Cooperative Security and Prosperity, London: Asean Academic Press, pp. 19-39.
2000a “Religion, Values and Capitalism in Asia”, in C. J. Wee Wan-ling, ed., The State, Capitalism and Local Cultures and Identities in the ‘New Asia’, Singapore: ISEAS,pp. 107-126.
2000b “The Relevance of the Social Sciences and the Prospects for Alternative Discourses”, in Luigi Tomasi, ed., New Horizons in Sociological Theory and Research: The Frontiers of Sociology at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century”, Avebury: Ashgate, pp. 395-412.
2001 “Alternative Discourses in Southeast Asia”, in Syed Farid Alatas, ed., Reflections on Alternative Discourses from Southeast Asia (International Sociological Association Regional Conferences – Social Knowledge: Heritage, Challenges, Perspectives), Singapore: Centre for Advanced Studies; International Sociological Association, pp. 13-31.
2002 “The State of Malay Sociology in Singapore”, in Tong Chee Kiong & Lian Kwen Fee, eds., The Making of Singapore Sociology, Leiden: Brill.
2003 “India and the Future of the Human Sciences in Asia”, N. Vohra, ed., Emerging Asia: Challenges for Asia and Singapore, Delhi: Manohar, pp. 157-167.
2005a “Indigenization: Features and Problems”, in Jan van Bremen, Eyal Ben-Ari & Syed Farid Alatas, eds., (2005) Asian Anthropology, London: Routledge, pp. 227-243.
2005b. “The Role of the Human Sciences in the Dialogue of Civilizations”, in The Dialogue of Civilizations: Ideas, Knowledge and Action, Tehran: University of Tehran Press, pp. 59-76. (in Persian)
2006a “Islam and the Science of Economics”, in Ibrahim Abu-Rabi‘, ed., The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought, Malden: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 587-606.
2006b. “Democratization in Indonesia and Malaysia”, in Masatoshi Kisaichi, ed., Popular Movements and Democratization in the Islamic World, London: Routledge, pp. 100-125.
2009a. “Religion and Reform: Two Exemplars for Autonomous Sociology in the Non-Western Context”, in Sujata Patel, ed., The ISA Handbook of Diverse Sociological Traditions, London: Sage, pp. 29-39.
2009b. “Syed Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hady (1867-1934) and the Reform of Malay Society: Ideological and Utopian Dimensions”, in Wazir Jahan Karim, ed., Penang: Straits G.T., pp.
2010a “Rejecting Islamism and the Need for Concepts from Within the Islamic Tradition”, in Richard C. Martin & Abbas Barzegar, eds., Islamism: Contested Perspectives on Political Islam, Stanford: Stanford University Press, pp. 87-92.
2010b “Ideology and Utopia in the Discourse on Civil Society in Indonesia and Malaysia” in Johan Saravanamuttu, ed., Islam and Politics in Southeast Asia, London: Routledge, pp. 165-181.
2010c “Little Love for Work or Lack of Activity: The Concept of Laziness”, in Huub de Jonge & Toon van Meijl, eds., On the Subject of Labour: Essays in Memory of Frans Hüsken, Nijmegen: In de Walvis, pp. 53-57.
2010d “Music and Worship in Islam: Zafin Among the Arabs of Southeast Asia”, in Syed Farid Alatas, ed., Hadhrami Arabs Across the Indian Ocean: Contributions to Southeast Asian Economy and Society, Singapore: NLB, pp. 65-70.
2011a. “The Definition and Types of Alternative Discourses”, in Georgette Wang, ed., De-Westernizing Communication Research: Altering Questions and Changing Frameworks, London: Routledge, pp. 238-253.
2011b “Ibn Khaldun”, in George Ritzer &b Jeffrey Stepnisky ed., The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Major Social Theorists, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 12-29.
2013. “Orientalism in the Social Sciences Today”, in Seyed Javad Miri, ed., Orientalism: A Eurocentric Vision of the ‘Other’, London: International Peace Studies Centre, pp. 5-22.
2014. “La dependencia académica: el desafío intelectual”, in Fernanad Beigel & Hanan Sabea, eds., Dependencia académica y profesionalización en el sur : perspectivas desde la periferia, Mendoza : EDIUNC; Rio de Janeiro: SEPHIS, pp. 33-42. (in Spanish)
2016a. “Religion and Concept Formation: Transcending Eurocentrism”, in Lutfi Sunar, ed., Eurocentrism at the Margins: Encounters, Critics and Going Beyond, London: Routledge, pp. 87-102.
2016b. “Muslim Sectarianism and the Amman Message”, in G25 Malaysia, Breaking the Silence – Voices of Moderation: Islam in a Constitutional Democracy, Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, pp. 158-170.
2016c. “Malcolm X, Alatas and Critical Theory”, in Dustin J. Byrd, ed., Malcolm X: From Political Eschatology to Religious Revolutionary, Leiden: Brill (forthcoming).
2016d. “Erring Modernization, Development and Islam”, in Lutfi Sunar, ed., Debates on Civilization in the Muslim World: Critical Perpsectives on Islam and Modernity, New Delhi: Oxford University Press).
2017. “The Arrest of Diponegoro: Visual Orientalism and its Alternative”, in Sanaz Fotouhi & Esmaeil Zeiny Jelodar, eds., The Seen and Unseen: The Visual Culture of Imperialism, Leiden: Brill (forthcoming).

Encyclopedia entries

2006 “Eurocentrism” Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishers.
2006 “Rizal, José” Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishers.
2006 “Captive Mind” Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishers.
2006 “Said, Edward” Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishers.
2006 “Ibn Khaldun” Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishers.
2006 “Al-Biruni” Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, Blackwell Publishers.

Proceedings

1998 “Western Theory, East Asian Realities and the Social Sciences”, in Lee Su-Hoon, ed., Sociology in East Asia and Its Struggle for Creativity, International Sociological Association, pp. 73-82.
2000. “Democratisation in Indonesia and Malaysia”, in Kisaichi Masatoshi, ed., Democratisation and Popular Movements in the Islamic World, International Workshop Organized by Islamic Area Studies Project, Unit 2 in Kisarazu, Japan on 27-28 November 1999, Islamic Area Studies Proceedings Series No. 2, Tokyo: Islamic Area Studies Project, pp. 52-85.
2001 “Alternative Discourses in Southeast Asia”, in Syed Farid Alatas, ed., Reflections on Alternative Discourses from Southeast Asia (International Sociological Association Regional Conferences – Social Knowledge: Heritage, Challenges, Perspectives), Singapore: Centre for Advanced Studies; International Sociological Association, pp. 13-31.
2010. “Rumi and the Contemporary Struggle Against Extremism”, in Mahmut Erol Kılıç et al, eds., Uluslararası Mevlânâ Sempozyumu Bildirileri, Istanbul: Motto Project, pp. 1029-1042.
2010 “The Definition and Types of Alternative Discourses”, in Michael Burawoy, Mau-kuei Chang and Michelle Fei-yu Hsieh, eds, Facing an Unequal World: Challenges for a Global Sociology. Vol. 1: Introduction, Latin America and Africa – 315 pp., Vol. 2: Asia – 361 pp., Vol. 3: Europe, and Concluding Reflections – 295 pp.: Taiwan, Academia Sinica and the Council of National Associations of the International Sociological Association, Vol. 2, pp. 139-157.
2010 “Ibn Khaldûn and the Abortion of a Tradition of Sociology”, in Houari Touati, ed., Figures d’Ibn Khaldûn: reception, appropriation et usages. Colloque International, VIe Centennaire de la Mort d’Ibn Khaldûn 1406-2006, 17-19 Juin 2006, Alger: Centre National de Recherches Préhistoriques, Anthropologiques et Historiques, 2010, pp. 173-196.

Reports

2010 “The Call for Alternative Discourses in Asian Social Science”, in Françoise Caillods, ed., World Social Science Report: Knowledge Divide, Paris: UNESCO; International Social Science Council, pp. 171-172.

Working papers

1992 “Some Problems of Indigenization,” Department of Sociology Working Paper No 114, National University of Singapore.
1994 “The Post-Colonial State: Dual Functions in the Public Sphere,” Department of Sociology Working Paper No 121, National University of Singapore.
1998 “The Rhetorics of Social Science in Developing Societies”, CAS Research Paper Series No. 1, National University of Singapore.
1999 “Teaching Classical Sociological Theory in Singapore: The Context of Eurocentrism”, Department of Sociology Working Paper No 141, National University of Singapore [with Vineeta Sinha].
1999 “The Discourse on Indigenization: Definitions, Criteria and Pitfalls”, CAS Research Paper Series No.17, National University of Singapore.
1999 “The Study of the Social Sciences in Developing Societies: Towards an Adequate Conceptualization of Relevance”, Cahiers du CERIA (Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Interdisciplinaires sur L’Asie), serie rouge, no. 11, September, Lausanne.
2005 “Ideology and Utopia in the Thought of Syed Shaykh al-Hady”, Department of Sociology Working Paper No 172, National University of Singapore.

Book reviews

1996 Review of D A Rinkes, H M Froger (trans.), Alijah Gordon (ed.), Nine Saints of Java, Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Sociological Research Institute, 1996 in Periodica Islamica 6(4).
2004 Review of Shahram Akbarzadeh & Abdullah Saeed, eds. Islam and Political Legititmacy, London: Routledge, 2003, in Global Change, Peace & Security 16(2).

RESEARCH IN PROGRESS

The Social Theology of Said Nursi (book project). Two-thirds of first draft compeleted. Estimated date of completion December 2016).
Agenda for Malay-Indonesia History (article). Estimated date of completion June 2017.
The Sultan and the Saint (book project). Drafts of several chapters at various stages of completion. Estimated date of completion December 2017.
The Bā‘alawī Sufi Order and Islam in the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago: Studies in the Historical Sociology of Religion (book project). Drafts of several chapters at various stages of completion. Estimated date of completion December 2018.
Muslim Ideologies and Utopias (book project). Estimated date of completion after 2019.
Al-Biruni and the Construction of “Hinduism” (article). Estimated date of completion after 2019.

SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES

Plenary Addresses, Keynotes and Invited lectures

1990 Ilmu Kemasyarakatan Keislaman: Suatu Ulasan Kritis (Islamic Social Science: A Critique), Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, March 29.
1991 Kebijaksanaan Pembangunan Negara-negara Asia Tenggara (Development Policy in Southeast Asian States), Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta, May 8.
1991 Negara-negara Lepas Penjajahan di Asia Tenggara (Post-Colonial States in Southeast Asia), Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Jakarta, May 15.
1991 Ulasan Kritis Islamisasi Ilmu di Kalangan Cendikiawan Islam Asia Tenggara (A Critical Comment on the Islamization of Knowledge Among Southeast Asian Intellectuals), Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the Center for Islamic Studies, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, May 15.
1991 The Role of the State in Development, School of Social Sciences Seminar, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, September 25.
1992 Kedudukan Teoretis Pengkajian Jantina (The Theoretical Status of Women Studies), Women and Human Resource Studies Unit Seminar Series on Feminist Discourse from a Malaysian Perspective, Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, March 13.
1993 Pengaslian, Nativisme dan Islam dalam Ilmu Kemasyarakatan (Indigenization, Nativism and Islam in Social Science), Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, February 11.
1993 Agama dan Ilmu Kemasyarakatan: Masalah Teoretis (Religion and Social Science: Theoretical Problems), Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, Depok, May 18.
1994 “The Spread of Islam and Shi’i Culture in Southeast Asia”, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, December 6.
1994 “Islam in Southeast Asia”, Shahid Chamran University, Ahwaz, Iran, December 7.
1997 “Beyond Orientalism and Occidentalism: Towards Alternative Discourses in the Social Sciences”, Frobenius Institute, Frankfurt, June 23.
1997 “Indigenization”, Institute for Sociology, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, June 24.
2003 Lecture on political Islam to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Political Islam Study Group (PISG), Singapore, July 10.
2003 “Media and Islam: Is Objective Reporting Possible”, Association of Muslim Professionals, Singapore, September 27.
2004. Invited Speaker, Integration Forum on Secular State, Moral Society, organised by Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), Singapore, August 21.
2004 Lecture on Academic Dependency, Centre for research in Pedagogy and Practice, National Institute of Education Fall School Seminar Series, Singapore, November 17.
2005 Address to th International Council for Formation and Studies – Dialogue, the Path to Peace: what kind of formation in a multi-cultural and multi-religious context, Seoul, February 14-27.
2005 “Kepentingan Sosial Pembangunan Ummah dalam Sebuah Negeri Maju” (“The Social Significance of the Development of the Ummah in a Developed State”), Keynote Address, Seminar Selangor Maju: Peneraju Pembangunan Sosial Berteraskan Islam, Shah Alam, December 2-3.
2005 “Is Islam a “Religion”?The Problem of Using Modern Concepts in the Study of Islam”. Islam Arastirmarlari Merkezi (ISAM) (Center for Islamic Studies), Istanbul, December 23.
2006 “Muslim Identity in a Secular State and a Multicultural Society”. Lecture at the Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA), Singapore, March 25.
2006 Invited speaker, Colloque international sur l’oeuvre et la pense de Ibn Khaldoun (International Colloquium on the Works and Thought of Ibn Khaldun), organised by Centre National de Recherches Préhistoriques, Anthropologiques et Historiques, in commemoration of 600 years of the death of Ibn Khaldun, Algiers, June 16-19. (Did not attend but presented paper published in proceedings)
2006 “Enhancing Impactful Dialogue in Southeast Asia and the World”. Lecture at the 4th ISESCO (International Islamic Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization) Seminar, Singapore, September 1-3.
2007. “Ibn Khaldun as an Exemplar for an African Sociological Tradition”. Plenary address at the 1st Congress of the African Sociological Association, Rhodes University, Grahamstown-iRhini, July 15-18.
2008 “Intellectual and Structural Challenges to Academic Dependency”. Keynote Address at the International Workshop on Coping with Academic Dependency: How?, organised by the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) and the South-South Exchange Programme for Reearch on the History of Development (SEPHIS), Patna, February 4-7.
2008 Huraian Asal Usul dan Kelebihan Ratib Al-Attas (The Origins and Significance of the Ratib Al-Attas). Lecture at the seminar Zikir Menjana Negara Sejahtera, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Brunei, March 3-4.
2005. Guest speaker on Islam and terrorism, Singapore Command and Staff College, Singapore, August 17.
2005 “The Case for Protestant Islam”. Plenary Address, Conference of the German Anthropological Association (Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Völkerkunde), organised by the Max-Planck-Institut für ethnologische Forschung and the Institute of Ethnology of the Martin Luther University, Halle, October 4-7.
2005 “Islam dan Pembangunan Sosial (Islam and Social Development). Multaqa Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj dan Seminar “Selangor Maju: Peneraju Pembangunan Sosial Berteraskan Islam”, December 2-3.
2008 “An Islamic Commitment to Inter-Religious Dialogue”. Public lecture at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, July 4.
2008 “Religion, Ethnicity and the Future of Multiculturalism in Malaysia”. Plenary address, International Conference on Ethnic Relations: Issues and Challenges, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, October 15-16.
2009 “Orientalisme dalam Pengajian Sejarah Alam Melayu”. Lecture at Seminar Serantau Sejarah dalam Pembangunan Negara, Brunei Historical Society and the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation, Brunei, January 10-11.
2009 “Saiyidina Hussein a.s. – Cucunda Rasulullah s.a.w.”. Lecture organised by the Institut Silsilah Assadah and the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia, January 31.
2009 “Malay Society between Traditionalism and Modernism”. Keynote Address, Workshop on Race and nation, Family and Economy: Malayness and its Debates, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, January 20-21.
2009 Plenary speaker at the 9th Conference of the Asia Pacific Sociological Association, Bali, June 13-15.
2009 Plenary seaker on “Islam in the Media as potrayed by Muslims and non-Muslims” at National Seminar on Media and Islamic Thinking (MIST ’09), organised by the Communication Program, Faculty of Leadership and Management, Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM), Bangi, July 21.
2009 Plenary speaker, Philippine Sociological Society Conference, University of the Philippines Baguio Campus, Baguio City, October 16-17. (Did not attend).
2009 “Eurocentrism in Malay Studies”. Plenary address, International Conference on Malay Culture and Society, University of Brunei Darussalam, November 3-6.
2010 “The Social Theology of Said Nursi and the Critique of Modern Civilization”, Plenary address at the 9th International Nursi Symposium – The Risale-i Nur: Knowledge, Faith, Morality and the Future of Humanity, Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture, Istanbul, October 3-5.
2010 “Social Thought and the Human Condition: Said Nursi and José Rizal”. Keynote Address, 2010 TASA (The Australian Sociological Association) Conference, Sydney, December 6-9.
2011 “Rizal as a Southeast Asian Social Thinker”. Plenary speaker at conference Rizal in the 21st Century: Local and Global Perspectives, University of the Philippines, Diliman, June 22-24.
2011 “Outline of a non-Eurocentri Sociology Course”. Main Speaker, Conference, Decolonising Our Universities, Penang, June 27-29.
2012 “Hadrami Studies: Prospects and Problems”, Lecture at the Special Lecture Series, C. H. Koya Mohammed Koya Chair for Studies on Developing Societies, University of Calicut, April 2.
2012 “Dialogue, Multiculturalism and National Unity”. Public lecture, University of Malaya, May 15.
2012 “Imagining Malaysia without Corruption”. Lecture at the Re-Imagining Malaysia National Lecture Series, organised by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Kota Samarahan, September 19.
2013 Keynote Speaker at Plenary Meeting on Sunni-Shia Dialogue, World Public Forum on Dialogue of Civilizations, Rhodes Forum, 11th Anniversary Session, The Age of the World Picture, Rhodes, October 2-3.
2014 “The Problem of Intellectual Imperialism”. Lecture organised by the International and Comparative Studies (ICS) and Teacher Learning and Professional Development (TLDP) Task Forces, National Institute of Education, Singapore, November 4.
2014 “Relevant Sociology: Applicability, Demystification and Advocacy”. Plenary address, International Conference on Thoughts on Human Sciences in Islam (IC-THuSI), Sadra International Institute, Jakarta, November 19-20.
2015 “Between Orientalism and Islamization: The Failure of Alternative Discourses”, Lecture as Visiting Professor to the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), National University of Malaysia, Bangi, March 27.
2015 “Theorising Asia”, Keynote Speech, International Sociological Association (ISA) XIIIthe International Laboratory for PhD students in Sociology, National University of Singapore, July 20-24.
2015 “Wacana yang Memutarbelitkan dan Membahayakan Ilmu Kemasyarakatan”, Festival Idearaya, Shah Alam, September 13.
2015 “The New Age of Terrorism”. Plenary address, AVSEC Symposium and Awards 2015. Aviation Security Conference organized by Emirates Group Security, Dubai, 4-6 October.
2015 “Syed Hussein Alatas: Wacana Kontra Hegemoni” (“Syed Hussein Alatas: Counter-Hegemonic Discourse”), Plenary address at Seminar Pemikiran Syed Hussein Alatas (Seminar on the Thought of Syed Hussein Alatas), International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, November 21.

Invited Conference/seminar presentations

1985 An Historical Perspective on the Islamization of the Malay Archipelago. Panel discussion on Islamic Revival in Malaysia co-sponsored by the Malaysia-America Society and the Center for Asian Studies, American University, May 23.
1987 On Methodology and the Social Sciences. Paper presented to the International Institute of Islamic Thought 4th International Conference on Methodology and the Behavioural Sciences, Khartoum, Sudan, January 15-20.
1988 Asian Mode of Production: Religion and the Formative Turkic and Iranian States in Modern Times. Paper presented to the 3rd International Conference on Central Asia, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, April 27-30.
1993 Indigenization and Social Science: The Role of Culture in Malaysian Development. Paper presented to the International and Inter-Agency Forum on Culture and Development jointly organised by the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University and UNESCO in collaboration with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, Seoul, September 20-22.
1994 Postmodernism and International Development. Paper presented at Workshop on Postmodernist Scholarship in Southeast Asia organised by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, February 25-26.
1994 “Traditional Cultures and the Rise of New Social and Political Values”. Paper presented to the Society for International Development (SID) Conference on Building Global Human Security: Parliamentarians – Parliamentarians and Civil Society Conference for Asia and the Pacific, Kuala Lumpur, November 6-10.
1994 “The Media and International Development”. Paper presented to the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Workshop on Problematizing Culture: Mass Media, Urban Identity, and the State in Southeast Asia, Singapore November 27-28.
1995 “The Rhetorics of Social Science in Developing Societies”. Paper presented at the Malaysian Social Science Conference on Globalization: Local Challenges and Responses,
Penang, January 19-21.
1995 “The tariqat al-`alawiyya and the Rise of the Shi`i School in Indonesia and Malaysia”. Paper prepared for a conference on “South Arabian Migration Movements in the Indian Ocean: The Hadhrami Case, c. 1750 – c. 1967, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London, April 27-29.
1995 “Dependency, Rhetorics and the Transnational Flow of Ideas in the Social Sciences”. Paper presented at the Goethe-Institute International Seminar on Cultural and Social Dimensions of Market Expansion, Labuan, October 16-17.
1995 “The Myth of the Asian Miracle: Dependency and Ersatz Capitalism”. Paper presented to the Malaysian Association for American Studies International Conference on North America and the Asia-Pacific Towards the 21st Century: Facing the Challenges of Promoting Cooperative Security and Prosperity, Petaling Jaya, November 7-8.
1996 “The Philosophy and Sociology of Social Science:
Towards an Adequate Conceptualization of Relevance and Irrelevance”, Paper presented at the Korean Sociological Association-International Sociological Association Joint Colloquium on “The Future of Sociology in East Asia”, Seoul, November 22-23.

1997 “Teaching Sociological Theory in Singapore: The Context of Eurocentrism”. Paper presented at the 2nd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of Sociology, Kuala Lumpur, 18-20 September (with Vineeta Sinha).
1997 “The Question of True Knowledge, Relevance and Post-Colonial Social Sciences”. Paper presented at the 2nd Asia Pacific Regional Conference of Sociology, Kuala Lumpur, 18-20 September.
1997 “The tariqat al-`alawiyya and the Rise of the Shi`i School in Indonesia and Malaysia”. Paper prepared for a KITLV workshop on The Arabs in Southeast Asia (1870 – c. 1990), 8-12 December.
1998 “Relevance and Irrelevance as Concepts in the Philosophy and Sociology of Social Science”. Paper presented at the 14th World Congress of Sociology, Montreal, 26 July-1 August.
1998 “Introduction to the Political Economy of Ibn Khaldun”. Paper presented to the Third International Workshop on Islamic Political Economy: Government-Business-Labour Relations within the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) and the launching of the Journal of Alternative Political Economy Vol 1 No 1 (January) 1999,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 23-24 November.

1998 “The Myth of the East Asian Miracle: Dependency, Ersatz Capitalism and Asian Values”. Paper presented at the International Conference on Asian Values, Kuala Lumpur, November 28-29.
1998 “Alternative Discourses in the Social Sciences and the Humanities: An Outline of a Research Project”. Paper presented to the Kolloquium zum Förderschwerpunkt der Volkswagen-Stiftung: “Das Fremde und das Eigene – Probleme und Möglichkeiten Interkulturellen Verstehens” Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder, 3-5 December.
1999 “Religion, Values and Capitalism in Asia”. Paper presented at the Workshop on Embedding Capitalism in Newer Asian Contexts: Authority Structures and Local Cultures and Identities in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand), 22-23 March, ISEAS, Singapore.
1999 “Academic Dependency in the Social Sciences”. Paper presented at the NUS American Studies Conference “Asia and America at Century’s End: Cultures of Interdependence”, Singapore, 26-28 May.
1999 “Democratization, Civil Society and Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia”. Paper presented to the IAS (Islamic Area Studies) Unit 2 International Workshop on Democratization and Popular Movements in the Islamic World, Kazusa Academia Hall, Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, 27-28 November.
2000 “An Introduction to the Idea of Alternative Discourses”, Paper presented to the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society International Conference on “The Human Sciences and the Asian Experience”, Bangalore, India, 18-20 February.
2000 “Islam and Socialism: Perspectives from Autonomous Social Science and Occidentalism”. Paper presented to International Center for Dialogue Among Civilizations International Seminar on Religion and Social Change: Challenges and Prospects for Peace, Tehran 22-29 February.
2000 “The Spirit of Capitalism in Asia: The Orientalization of Weber”. Paper presented in absentia to an International Symposium on the Spirit of Capitalism in East Asia, Seoul, 23-26 March.
2000 “The `Alawiyyah Tariqah”. Paper presented at the Final Conference, The Indian Ocean Programme on the Hadrami Diaspora: Migration of People, Commodities and Ideas, Bergen, 4-5 December.
2001 “The `Alawiyyah Tariqah: A Reconstruction”. Paper presented to the Japan Center for Area Studies, National Museum of Ethnology, International Symposium on “Population Movement beyond the Middle East: Migration, Diaspora and Network, Osaka, 23-25 January.
2001 “Pengkajian mengenai Ilmu-Ilmu Kemasyarakatan: Ke Arah Membentuk Faham Kesesuaian” (“The Study of the Social Sciences: Towards Conceptualising Relevance). Paper presented to the Malaysian Social Science Association(PSSM – Persidangan Kebangsaan Sains Sosial di Malaysia) with the co-operation of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, February 19-20.
2001 “Masyarakat Sipil: Peran Islam dan Ilmu-ilmu Kemasyarakatan” (“Civil Society: The Role of Islam and the Social Sciences”). Paper presented at the Simposium Internasional II Jurnal Antropologi Indonesia, “Globalisasi dan Kebudayaan Lokal: Suatu Dialektika Menuju Indonesia Baru”, 18-21 Juli 2001, Universitas Andalas, Padang.
2001 “Islam, Ilmu-Ilmu Kemasyarakatan dan Masyarakat Sipil” (Islam, the Social Sciences and Civil Society”). Third International Malaysian Studies Conference, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, 6-8 August. (in Malay)
2001 “Introduction to Alternative Discourses in Southeast Asia: Emergence and Prospects”. Paper presented at the Workshop on Asia in Europe – Europe in Asia, 7 – 8 December, National University of Singapore.
2002 “India and the Future of the Human Sciences in Asia”. Paper presented to the Second India-Singapore Colloquium on Emerging Asia: Challenges for India and Singapore, 26-27 February, India International Centre, New Delhi.
2002 “The Role of the Human Sciences in the Dialogue Among Civilizations”. Paper presented to the International Conference on East Meets West: A Quest for New Civilizations in the New Millenium, March 22, Seoul National University, Seoul.
2002 Guest Speaker, Roundtable on Malaysian Social Science: International Competitiveness, Local Relevance. Organized by the School of Social Sciences. Universiti Sains Malaysia, August 24.
2002 “Islam and Modernization”. Conference on Islam in Southeast Asia: Political, Social and Strategic Challenges for the 21st Century, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, September 2-3.
2002 “Madrasah Education and Multiculturalism”. IPS Research Forum – Ethnic Relations in Singapore, October 24.
2002 “Islam, Democratization and Civil Society in Southeast Asia”. Symposium on Islam in Southeast Asia and China, City University of Hong Kong, November 28 – December 1.
2002 “The Role of Youth and Children in the Dialogue Among Civilizations”. Global Islamic Civil Society Programme – “Women, Youth and Children in Muslim Countries: Between Democracy and War”.Women’s Development Research Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 23 December.
2003 “Islam, Democratization and Civil Society in Indonesia and Malaysia”. Workshop on After Bali: The Threat of Terrorism in Southeast Asia, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Nanyang Technological University, 27-28 January.
2003 Lecture on Islam and political violence, Symposium on the Southeast Asian Security Environment, Institute of Defense Analysis (IDA), United States Department of Defense, hosted by Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, Singapore and Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 14 – 19 September.
2003 Panelist, International Conference on The Ummah at the Crossroads: The Role of the OIC. Jointly organized by the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign relations, Malaysia (IDFR), Institute of Knowledge Advancement, University Teknologi MARA (InKA), and MRSRM Former Students Asociation of Malaysia (ANSARA), Kuala Lumpur, October 13-14.
2003 Panelist, Second France-Singapore Conference, co-organised by the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies and the Centre asie ifri (Paris), Singapore, November 10-11.
2003 “Max Weber and Asian Values”. Paper presented to the confernce –ASEAN Cultural Connection: ASEAN Values and their Relevance to the Modern World, Organised by the PR Academy and the Asian Media Information & Communication Centre, November 12.
2004 “Music and Worship in Islam: Zafin Amng the Arabs in Southeast Asia”. Paper presented to the Workshop on Southeast Asia and the Middle East: Islam, Movement and the Longue Duree, Asia Research Institute (ARI), National Institute of Singapore, August 17-18.
2004. “Cultural Harmony”, Lecture at Polytechnic Forum 2004, Singapore, September 11.
2004. Lecture on Islam, The IRO (Inter-Religious Organization Singapore) Conference 2004, Singapore, October 8-10.
2004 “Creating Our Own Sociology”. Paper presented to the International Workshop on Redesign of Social Science Curricula, organized by the Multiversity and Citizens International, Penang, November 19-22.
2005. “The Concept of Political Islam”. Lecture as Resource Person, National Security Course, Civil Service College, Singapore, February 15.
2005 Panelist, International Symposium on Sociology – Cultural Change, Social Problems, and Knowledge Society: Sociology for a Global Society, International Sociological Association and the University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, March 7-9.
2005 “From Jāmi`ah to University: Multiculturalism and Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Asia and Beyond”. First International Conference of the Asian Philosophical Association, Istanbul, September 29 to October 2.
2005 “Islam and Democratization: Challenges and Prospects”. Paper presented to the International Roundtable on Islam and Democratization in Southeast Asia: Challenges and Opportunities, International Centre for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), Jakarta, December 6-7.
2006 Lecture on Islam and Civil Society, the 3rd Asia-Europe Dialogue of Cultures, organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FE) and the Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, February 28-March 1.
2006 “Current Muslim Reform Projects and their Destiny: A Critical Analysis from Ibn Khaldun’s Perspective”. Paper presented at the Symposium on Ibn Khaldun: From Past to Future – Revisiting Ibn Khaldun at the Sexcentenary of his Death, Organised by the Centre for Islamic Studies, Istanbul, June 3-4.
2006. “Radical Islam, Moderate Islam – Understanding the Cultural Perspective to Meet the Security Challenge”, Conference on Crossing International Boundaries: The Global Covergence of Security and Investogations, organize by Securex-Asia, Singapore, August 14-19.
2006 Panelist, 2nd Round of CLSA and OKMD (Office of Knowledge management and Development) Islamic Roundtable, Bangkok, November 24.
2007. “Rumi and the Contemporary Struggle Against Extremism”. Paper presented to the International Symposium on Mevlânâ Celâleddin Rûmî, Istanbul/Konya, May 8-12.
2007 “Asian Social Science: A Budget of Crisis”. Invited panelist, Conference on Redesigning Pedagogy: Culture, Knowledge and Understanding, National Institute of education, Singapore May 28-30.
2007 “Social Development and the Meaning of Reform in Islam”. Paper presented at the Forum on Social Development in Islam, Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs, Singapore, August 11.
2007. Panelist at session on Tribute to Rumi: The Poet of Mystic, Love and Tolerance, Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, Bali, September 25-30.
2007. Particpant in the 6th Building Bridges Seminar for Muslim and Christian Scholars, organized by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, held at the National University of Singapore, December 3-6.
2008. Kleptocracy, Development and the State. Paper presented at the conference on Revisiting the Development Agenda in Southeast Asia, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, November 1-2.
2008. “Muslim Revival and Malay Identity”. Panelist, Conference on Globalising Religions and Culture in the Asia Pacific, 2008 Sugnature Event, ARC Asia Pacific Futures Research Network, Adelaide, December 1-5.
2009 The Hegemony of Northernn Social Sciences and the Overcoming of Academic Dependency. Paper presented to the Conference of the National Associations of the International Sociological Association, Academia Sinica, Taipei, March 23-25.
2009 Participant at Fly-In Roundtable – Proposal to Establish an Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at Zayed University, organized by Zayed University, Dubai, April 3.
2009 “The Role of NGOs in Promoting Dialogue: Understanding Dialogue”. Paper presented at the conference – The Role of NGOs in Promoting Dialogue Across Values and Culture, organized by Center for Civilizational Dialogue, University of Malaya, August 18-19.
2009 “Eurocentrism and Parochialism as Obstacles to Dialogue: The Case of Christian-Muslim Understanding”. Paper presented at the Tehran Forum: Interfaith Dialogue, Religion and Peaceful Coexistence, organized by the Center for International Religious Studies, University of Tehran, Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, and UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, December 12-13.
2010 “The Intellectual Challenges of Academic Dependency”. Paper presented at the 2bd Workshop on Academic Dependency – The Challenge of Constructing Autonomous Social Sciences in the South, organized by SEPHIS, CLACSO and the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, November 3-6.
2010 Key contributor at Public Debate on Social Causes, Private Lives, organized by Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Sydney, December 7.
2012 “The Development and Abortion of an Alternative Tradition in Modern Sociology: The Case of Ibn Khaldun”. Panelist at the International Conference on Circulating Social Science Knowledge, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, September 27-29.
2012 Panelist, Symposium on Intercivilisational Dialogue towards peace, Harmonious Coexistence and Sustainability, University of Malaya, October 23-24.
2013 “Prophethood, the Ahl al-Bayt and the Ideal of Excellence in Nursi’s Thought”. Paper presented at the International Bediuzzaman Symposium, Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture, 22-24 September.
2013 “The Significance of Ibn Khaldūn: Methodology or Theory”. Paper presented at the Third International Ibn Khaldun Symposium, Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, Istanbul; Ibn Khaldun Society, Istanbul, 28-29 September.
2013 “Religion and Concept Formation”. Paper presented at the Beyond Eurocentrism workshop, Scientific Studies Society, ILEM, Istanbul, Seljuk University, Konya, 20-22 December.
2014 Panelist, Asian World Summit – Oneness Through Education Dialogue: Is Our Education System Doing Enough to Unite Our Multicultural Society?, Kuala Lumpur, November 13.
2014 Panelist in session on Towards an International Dialogue, 28th Conference of the Academy of Latinity, Muscat, November 23-25.
2014 Panelist at seminar on Mitigating Religious Extremism, organized by the Islamic Rennaissance Front and the Penang Institute, December 6.
2014 “Sectarianism and the Challenges to Muslim Unity”. Paper presented to the workshop Conceptualising the Ummah, organized by Durham University and the University of Nottingham, Kuala Lumpur, December 10-11.
2015 Lecture at Dialogue Seminar on Christian-Muslim Dialogue, Conference of Religious Major Superiors (CRMS), Petaling Jaya, January 16.
2015 “Relevant Knowledge: Conceptual Creativity, Demystification and Subversion”. Paper presented to the conference on Decolonization, Leadership and Knowledge Democracy in the 21st Century University, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, January 25-27.
2015 Panelist on Moderation as an Approach Towards Peace, Security and Development, RSIS-GMMF Roundtable – The Langkawi Declaration on the Global Movement of Moderates, Singapore, Juy 29.
2015 Islamic Identity and Hospitality: Resources against Exclusivism and Sectarianism. Panelist at the Religion and Global Citizenship workshop, Kuala Lumpur, August 2-4.
2015 Panelist at session on Integration of Knowledge and its Application: Practical Application and Comparative Views. International Seminar on Islamic Studies and Integration of Knowledge: Their Implementation in Research and Teaching, Graduate School, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta & University Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), November 24-25.
2015 “Multiculturalism and Political Islam”. Paper presented at the public forum, Islam in a Constitutional Democracy, organised by G25, Kuala Lumpur, December 5-6.
2016 “The Role of the Media in the Spread of Extremist Ideas”. Academic Seminar on State, Media and Extremsism. Organised by AsiaWE, University of Malaya and the Ferdowsi Research & Cultural Institute, Kuala Lumpur, 17 March.
2016 “Spiritual Counseling in the Context of Multiculturalism and Inter-Religious Dialogue”. 1st International Congress on Religious-Spiritual Counselling and Care. Organised by Ensar Vakfı and the Centre for Values Education, Istanbul, 7-10 April 2016.

Conferences and seminars

1985 The Sociology of Imitation and Development Studies. Paper presented to the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs 37th Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, May 28-31.
1986 The Uncritical Adoption of Development Theories in Non-Western Societies. Paper presented to the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations 15th Annual Meeting, Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 29-31.
1986 West Asian and Malay Economy and Society in Fifteenth Century Muslim History. Paper presented to the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Association for Asian Studies 15th Annual Meeting, Newark, Delaware, October 31-November 2.
1987 Marx and Weber: The Asiatic Mode of Production and Patrimonialism in the Malay Peninsula, circa 1500 A.D. Paper presented to the 28th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Washington, D.C., April 14-18.
1987 The Reception of Marx by the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Paper presented to the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations 16th Annual Meeting, Athens, Ohio, May 28-31.
1987 The Implantation of Social Science in the Muslim World. Paper presented to the Association of Muslim Social Scientists 16th Annual Conference, October 9-11.
1987 On the Historical Sociology of Islam: From the Maghrib to the Malay-Indonesian Archipelago. Paper presented to the 21st Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, Baltimore, Maryland, November 14-17.
1988 Ibn Khaldun and the Science of the History of Civilization. Paper presented to the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations 17th Annual Meeting, Hampton, Virginia, May 26-29.
1988 Ibn Khaldun and the Study of Ottoman and Iranian History: Religion, State, and Revolution. Paper presented to the 17th Annual Conference of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Ames, Iowa, October 28-30.
1988 Ibn Khaldun, Marx and the Asiatic Mode of Production in Ottoman Turkey and Qajar Iran. Paper Presented in absentia to the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, Beverly Hills, California, November 2-5.
1989 The Changing Racial Dimension of the Malaysian Class Structure. Paper presented to the 41st Annual Meeting of the Association of Asian Studies, Washington D. C., March 17-19.
1989 Theoretical Problems in Iranian Marxism: Religion and Revolution. Paper presented at the Eastern Sociological Society 59th Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland, March 17-19.
1989 The Ulama, State, and Revolution: Some Theoretical Problems of the Iranian Left. Paper presented at the Seventh Annual Conference of the Center for Iranian Research and Analysis, New York, New York, April 7-9.
1991 Sains Sosial Malaysia dan Arus Perkembangan Sains Sosial Dunia (Malaysian Social Science and Currents in World Social Science). Paper presented at the Malaysian Social Science Annual Conference, Petaling Jaya, August 26-27.
1993 The Post-Colonial State: Indonesia and Malaysia.
Paper presented to the ASEAN Inter-University Seminars on Social Development jointly organised by the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore and the Faculty of Development Science, National University of Malaysia, Sabah Campus, Kota Kinabalu, November 12-15.

1996 “Western Theory and Asian Realities: A Critical Appraisal of the Indigenization Theme”. Paper presented at the Asia Pacific Regional Conference of Sociology (APRCS), Philippine Social Science Centre, Quezon City, 28-31 May.
1997 “Teaching Sociological Theory in Singapore: The Context of Eurocentrism”. Paper presented at the Asean Inter-University Seminars on Social Development, University of Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia, 16-19 June (with Vineeta Sinha).
1999 “Problems in the Discourse on Indigenization”. Paper presented at the Asean Inter-University Seminars on Social Development, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani, Thailand, 16-18 June.
2002 “The `Alawiyyah Tariqah: Some Problems in the Sociology of Religion”. XV World Congress of Sociology, Brisbane, July 7-13.
2002 “Pengkajian tentang Ilmu-ilmu Sosial: Menuju ke Pembentukan Faham ‘Jitu’. 3rd International Symposium of the journal, Antropologi Indonesia – Rebuilding Indonesia, a Nation of “Unity in Diversity”: Towards a Multicultural Society, Udayana University, Denpasar, Bali, July 16-19.
2002 “Academic Dependency and the Global Division of Labour in the Social Sciences”. XXVIII All India Sociological Conference, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 18-20 December.
2008 “José Rizal as an Exemplar for Autonomous Sociology in the Non-Wstern Context”. Paper presented at the 8th ASEAN Inter-University Conference on Social Development – ASEAN as a Community: Solidarity in a Globalizing World, Manila, May 28-31.
2012 “From Theology to Sociology: Said Nursi and the Islamic Tradition”. 2nd International Conference on Social Thought in the Middle East and North Africa, organized by the Istanbul Foundaton for Science and Culture and Yildiz Technical University, with the support of the International Sociological Association, Iranian Sociological Association, Institute for religion and Contemporary Thought, and World SSH Net, Istanbul, June 26-27.

Other conference/seminar activities

1988 Sociological Theory in the Third World. Roundtable discussion leader at Sociological Theory Conference, University of Maryland, March 11.
1990 The Iranian Economic Experience: Problems and Prospects. Commentator on “Fundamamental Basis and Unique Features of Islamic Banking in Iran,” by Dr. Syed Hossein Mahdavi, Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, at the Symposium on Islamic Economics, Kuala Lumpur, March 25-26.
1991 Rapporteur, ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry Meetings, January 20-24.
1992 Moderator, United Nations Asian Regional NGO Symposium on the Question of Palestine, Nicosia, Cyprus, January 22-24.
1993 Rapporteur, International and Inter-Agency Forum on Culture and Development jointly organised by the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University and UNESCO in collaboration with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, Seoul, September 20-22.
1994 Discussant for paper presented by Dr Isabelle Louis, “Global Policies on Environment and their Impact on National Policies” at a conference on Policy Making on Environmental Issues: The Impact of Media Coverage, organised by the Asian Institute for Development Communication and the Malaysian Institute of Development Strategies, in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, January 24-26.
1995 Discussant on the theme, “The Economic Origins of Emigration from Hadhramaut and the Economic Impact on Hadhramaut of the Diaspora”, conference on “South Arabian Migration Movements in the Indian Ocean: The Hadhrami Case, c. 1750 – c. 1967, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London, April 27-29.
2001 Chair and discussant at the ATMA-EFEO Colloquium on “French Scholarship and the Malay World”, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, April 30 – May 1.
2002 Commentator, Focus group discussion on “Civilizational Dialogue: Myth or Reality?” with Prof. Osman Bakar, August 4.
2005 Invited participant, International Roundtable on “Islam and Democratization ion Southeast Asia: Challenges and Opportunities”. Organised by the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), Jakarta, 6-7 December.
2006 Chair, Session on In Memory of Edward Said: Rethinking on Orientalism, International Symposium on Orientalism – In Memory of Edward Said, Istanbul Municipality, Istanbul, December 8-9.

PUBLIC/COMMUNITY TALKS

1983 Islam and Marx: The Materialist Interpretation of History. Lecture delivered to the Muslim Students’ Association of the United States and Canada, University of Oregon chapter, Masjid al-Quds, Eugene, Oregon, May 15.
1995 “The Spread of Islam in Southeast Asia”, National Museum Docent Training Programme, Singapore, 17 January
2000 “The tariqat al-`alawiyya and the Ja`fari School”. Lecture delivered at the Jaafari Muslim Association (Singapore), Singapore, 10 September.
2001 Peace and Harmony Day 2001, Inter-Religious
Organisation, Singapore, March 18.

2001 911, Association of Muslim Professionals, Singapore.
2001 Death of Imam Ali, Imambara, Singapore.
2001 “The Spread of Islam in Southeast Asia”, National Museum Docent Training Programme, Singapore, October.
2002 Inter-Civilization Dialogue, CCIS (Centre for Contemporary Islamic Studies), Singapore, 12 January.
2002 Lecture on the History of Islamic Civilization/Islamic Science, The Friends of the National Museum, Singapore, 14 January.
2002 Inter-Faith Sharing Session – People of the Book: Together towards Harmony, Inter-Religious Organization of Singapore, 4 February.
2002 Discussion on ISD Arrests of Terrorists in Singapore, National University of Singapore Society, 11 March.
2002 “Islam Sebagai Cara Hidup”. Talk organised by the Kampong Ubi Community Centre for Malay Grassroots leaders, June 7.
2002 “Introduction to the Civilization of Islam”. Talk organised by the Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, August 14.
2002 “Moderate, Extremist, Modern and Backward Muslims: What does it all mean?” Lecture organised by the Pasir Ris (East) Inter-Racial Confidence Circle and the Islamic Fellowship Association, Singapore, October 27.
2003 Lecture on the History of Islamic Civilization/Islamic Science. Organised by Friends of the National Museum, Singapore, January 14.
2003 Guest Speaker on political Islam, 8th Foreign Serice Basic Programme (FSBP), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, August 30.
2003 “Media and Islam: Is Objective Reporting Possible”, Lecture at the Research Institute of Malay and Islamic Affairs, Singapore, 27 September.
2004 Panelist, Forum, World Understanding and Peace Day. Organised by the Rotary Club, Singapore, February 23.
2004 Panelist in session, Multifaith Presentation on Preaching at the Conference on Preaching as Shaping Experience in a World of Conflict, Trinity Theological College, Singapore, June 16.
2004 “Islam and Zealotry”. Lecture at Darul Arqam, Singapore, June 19.
2004 Speaker at Parliament of Religions, Sree Narayana Mission, Singapore, July 11.
2004 Speaker at Racial Harmony Forum, Ministry of Education, Singapore, July 13.
2004 “Islam and the Secular”. Presentation at a seminar on Secular State, Moral Society organized by the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) and the Trinity Theological College (TTC), Singapore, 21 August.
2004 “Cultural Harmony”, Talk at the Polytechnic Forum 2004 Kickstart Seminar, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore, 11 September.
2004 “Islam”, The IRO Conference 2004 on Enriching Inter-Religious and Inter-Racial Harmony, Singapore, 8 – 9 October.
2004 “The Legacy of the Ottoman Empire”, Public Lecture in conjunction with the Asian Civilizations Museaum exhibition, From the Land of the Ottoman Sultans – Palace Treasures from Turkey, Singapore, October 12.
2004 “Racial Harmony”, Panel discussion at the Racial Harmony Forum, Anderson Junior College, Singapore 13 July.
2004 “Islam and Zealotry”. Lecture delivered at Darul Arqam, Singapore, 19 June.
2004 “Islam”. Talk at the “Parliament of Religions”, Sree Narayana Mission, Singapore 11 July.
2004 “The Meaning and Purpose of Preaching in Islam”. Paper presented to the International Conference on “Preaching as Shaping Experience in a World of Conflict”, Trinity Theological College, Singapore, 12 – 17 June.
2004 Panelist at World Understanding and Peace Day, Rotary Club of Singapore, 23 February.
2005 “Turkey in Southeast Asia”, Seminar organized by the Turkish Cultural Centre, Singapore, 4 June.
2005 “Political Islam”, Lecture to Singapore Command and Staff College, 17 August.
2006. “Understanding Islam”. Public leture, Religions of Singapore talk series, organised by the Secretariat of the National Steering Committee on the Inter-Rcial Confidence Circles (IRCCs), Singapore, February 26.
2006 Speaker at In the Name of Religion – a Forum on Conflict, Peace and Faith, Singapore Management University (SMU), 21 September.
2006 “Radical Islam, Moderate Islam – Understanding the Cultural Perspective to Meet the Security Challenge”, Talk at the Council of International Investigators Annual General Meeting 2006, Singapore, 14 – 19 August 2006, in conjunction with Securex Asia 2006.
2006 “Understanding Islam”, Talk at Religions of Singapore – a series of talks & dialogues organized by The Secretariat of the National Steering Committee on the Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) and the Inter Religious Organization (IRO), Singapore 26 February 2006.
2007 “The Place of the Sufi Tradition in Islam”. Public lecture in conjunction with the Festival – Under the Crescent Moon: Culture and Heritage of the Arab World and Turkey, National Museum of Singapore, March 22-May 21. Lecture delivered on May 3.

MEMBERSHIP OF EDITORIAL BOARDS

1994 Resource person, Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science.
1995-1998 Review editor, Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science.
1996-1998 International Editorial Board, Periodica Islamica.
1998-2000 Associate editor, Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science.
1998 – Associate editor, Journal of World-Systems Research
2000- Associate editor, Asia Pacific Education Review
2001- 2009 Editor, Asian Journal of Social Science (formerly Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science)
2011 – 2013 Advisory Board, Islam and Civilizational Renewal (Kuala Lumpur)
2013 – Regional editor, Islam and Civilizational Renewal (Kuala Lumpur)
2010 – Editorial Board, Islamic Perspectives (London)
2000 – Founding editor, Social Sciences in Asia (book series published by Brill)
2010 – Member, Board of Advistors, Melbourne University Press Islamic Studies Series (book series)

CONFERENCES CONVENED

1998 International Workshop on `Alternative Discourses in the Social Sciences and Humanities: Beyond Orientalism and Occidentalism’ (Southeast Asian regional conference of the International Sociological Association),Singapore, May 30 – June 1.
2001 Asian Interfaith Dialogue: Perspectives on Religion, Education and Social Cohesion. 27-28 October. Organised by RIMA (Centre for Research on Islamic & Malay Affairs), Singapore, and supported by the World Bank Post-Conflict Fund.
2004 International Seminar on “Global Challenges and Local Responses: Trends and Developments in Society and Sociology in Asia and Beyond”. Organised by the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore in conjunction with the International Sociological Association, March.
2005 Covering Islam: Challenges and Opportunities for Media in the Global Village. 3-4 September. Organised by RIMA (Centre for Research on Islamic & Malay Affairs), Singapore, with sponsorship of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Singapore.
2005 Convener, International Conference on “Globalisation and Religious Resurgence: Asian Responses”, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), Singapore, 28-29 September.
2006 Convener, International Seminar on “Progressive Islam and the State in Contemporary Muslim Societies”, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies”, Singapore, 7-8 March.
2006 Convener, Seminar on Seminar on “The Sufi Tradition of Islam” University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore, and the Turkish Cultural Centre, Singapore, with the support of The Malay Heritage Centre, Singapore, April 1.
2007 Host, the 6th Building Bridges Seminar: Huamnity in Context: Christian and Muslim Perspectives on Being Human. Main convener – the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, December 2-7.
2009 Joint convener, International Conference on Malay Culture and Society. Jointly organised by University of Brunei Darussalam and Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore, November 3-6.
2012 Joint Convener, 2nd International Conference on Social Thought in the Middle East and North Africa. Theme – The Origin and Development of Social Thought and Theory in the Muslim World. Jointly organised by Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture, and International Sociaological Association, June 26-27.