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ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, RAJARATNAM SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES,
NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, SINGAPORE
Farish Ahmad Noor (b 1967) is a Malaysian political-scientist and historian who adopts an unconventional and critical approach in his numerous writings.
Do read more about Farish Noor's biography here, as well as his professional credentials here.
He has managed to achieve sterling academic success with the charm of a common man known to the common people of Malaysia. One of his nicknames is "the rock star professor."
Typically unafraid to challenge national norms and stereotypes, Farish has long been known for his outspoken views on society, politics and history.
Perhaps the most recognisable and certainly one of his more controversial books is his What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You, a collection of his public lectures printed in 2009.
In it, Farish successfully and provocatively deconstructs long-standing conventional narratives. In so doing, he skilfully uncovers deeper, hidden and rather uncomfortable truths about Malaysian and Southeast Asian history.
The one book by Farish Noor which I had no regrets purchasing was his The Other Malaysia: writings on Malaysia's subaltern history.
I particularly enjoyed his sharp dissecting of the grand occasion when Sultan Idris of Perak was honoured by the British colonial government in 1913, where he writes laconically that it was "a spectacle which incorporated the native while disabling him at the same time by reducing him to the status of passive recipient."
Dr Farish Noor has a strong online presence, having made several documentaries and numerous other media recordings of his lectures, interviews and presentations.
Watch his Shadows of Empire: inventing Southeast Asia below.
Farish Noor comments on Malaysia here in an One-on-One interview.
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