Stuart Hall’s “The west and the rest: Discourse and power”

The Centre for Malay-Islamic Civilisational Studies (ISTAC-IIUM) is proud to launch its new series Readings on Civilisations with a compelling first session exploring Stuart Hall’s seminal essay, “The west and the rest: Discourse and power.” This foundational text interrogates how the idea of “the West” operates as a conceptual tool shaping global knowledge, power, and historical narratives.
Session 1 Details:

📅 Date: Wednesday, 14 January 2026
🕝 Time: 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
📍 Venue: Ibn Khaldun Conference Room, ISTAC-IIUM
🎙️ Convenor: Prof. Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Murad Merican (Professor of social and intellectual history and Director of ISTAC-IIUM)

Join us for a critical reading and discussion of Hall’s work, guided by Prof. Murad’s insights into civilisational discourse and its relevance to contemporary thought. The session will be streamed live via YouTube for broader engagement.

This event is open to scholars, students, and the public interested in civilisational studies, postcolonial theory, and intellectual history.

The West is a concept or idea that can be seen to function…it is a tool to think with.”
— Stuart Hall (1992)