On June 29, 2026, a hybrid academic class session titled “Colonial Contestation of Maritime in the 19th Century and Its Impact on Maritime Sovereignty in Southeast Asia” was successfully held, featuring Prof. Dr. Farish A. Noor as the keynote speaker. In his lecture, Prof. Noor examined the enduring influence of colonialism on Southeast Asia’s maritime identity, territorial understanding, and sovereignty, encouraging participants to critically reflect on the region’s historical and contemporary maritime perspectives.
During the discussion, Prof. Noor examined the origins of the term “Southeast Asia,” explaining that its emergence is closely tied to colonial history and the geopolitical frameworks established by Western powers. He argued that the region has gradually lost many of its indigenous vocabularies and ways of identifying itself, replacing them with concepts derived from Western political science. The lecture further explored how modern understandings of territoriality have become narrowly associated with the nation-state, a concept rooted in the Peace of Westphalia of the 17th century. Prof. Noor encouraged participants to rethink Southeast Asia not as a collection of rigid territorial boundaries but as a fluid archipelagic region shaped by movement, connectivity, and maritime interactions.
A central theme of the discussion was Southeast Asia’s identity as an archipelago. Prof. Noor emphasized that the region’s indigenous communities historically settled along coastlines, giving rise to major urban centers such as Jakarta and Surabaya. He also questioned the common translation of the Indonesian term “Tanah Air” as “homeland,” arguing that the phrase more accurately reflects an inseparable relationship between land and water. According to him, colonial administrations gradually weakened this maritime consciousness, transforming Southeast Asia from a civilization of “land and sea” into one perceived primarily as “land.”
Prof. Noor stressed that the sea has never been an empty space but has always served as a vital arena of economic exchange, cultural interaction, political authority, and social life. He explained that colonialism imposed epistemic violence through mapping, data collection, and knowledge production, introducing Eurocentric perspectives that reshaped local understandings of geography, identity, and sovereignty.
While acknowledging that the concept of Southeast Asia itself emerged during the colonial period, Prof. Noor argued that scholars in the region should actively contribute to developing theories grounded in the archipelagic realities of Southeast Asia rather than relying solely on frameworks developed in different historical and geographical contexts. He called for the creation of an intellectual tradition that reflects the region’s own experiences and maritime heritage.
During the question-and-answer session, participants discussed how many post-colonial states continue to operate on institutional and territorial foundations inherited from colonial administrations, influencing the way maritime states in Southeast Asia govern and perceive sovereignty today. Prof. Noor emphasized that scholars have an important responsibility to remind academic disciplines that alternative understandings of belonging, identity, and citizenship exist beyond dominant Western frameworks. He also highlighted translation as a powerful political instrument that shapes how societies understand themselves and their histories.
The discussion concluded with a call to reclaim Southeast Asia’s maritime imagination by recognizing the sea as an integral part of the region’s identity and by promoting knowledge production rooted in local historical experiences. Participants were encouraged to critically reassess inherited colonial concepts and contribute to a more inclusive understanding of maritime sovereignty in Southeast Asia.