I am excited to share a recent panel discussion I hosted at the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) in London, now available to watch on YouTube. Titled ‘In Conversation With Syed Farid Alatas: Re-Thinking Knowledge, Intellectual Canons, and the Decolonisation of Academia’, the event brought together Professor Syed Farid Alatas, Shuchen Xiang, and myself for a rich exchange of ideas on reimagining academic knowledge and intellectual canons.

In this thought-provoking discussion, Professor Alatas draws on the works of thinkers like Ibn Khaldun and José Rizal to explore how Western-centric frameworks continue to dominate mainstream academic discourse. We discussed the concept of ‘captive minds’, the marginalisation of non-Western epistemologies, and how integrating diverse intellectual traditions can open up more pluralistic and inclusive spaces in higher education. This session builds upon the keynote Professor Alatas gave for the SRHE conference in December 2024.

You can watch the recorded conversation between myself, Alatas and Xiang below.