Penang Story Phase One 2001-2002

Penang Story Phase One 2001-2002

Links to all the 2001/2 events can be seen here. Details on the International Conference in 2002 are shown below.

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The Penang Story – International Conference 2002
The City Bayview Hotel, Penang, Malaysia
Date : 18-21 April 2002 ( Thursday to Sunday )

The Penang Story – International Conference 2002 was an exciting multi-disciplinary conference with local, national and international speakers from the fields of history, anthropology, geography, languages and culture. This conference offered fresh perspectives on Penang’s history and a re-evaluation of the importance of Penang’s historical role as a regional centre.

Penang’s rich social history and heritage has been the focus of scholars and researchers from all over the world. In April 2002, about 60 speakers from more than a dozen countries – including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hongkong, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States – came together for this important conference.

The ‘Penang Story’ project stimulated tremendous community interest and press coverage through the following events, held between August 2001 and February 2002 – Oral History Workshop, Pengkisahan Melayu Pulau Pinang, colloquiums on Indians in Penang – A Historical Perspective, History of the Chinese Communities in Penang and Penang’s Historical Minorities.

Embracing the stories of local communities, the ‘Penang Story’ is a celebration of Penang’s historical cultural diversity. The project is undertaken in support of Penang and Malacca’s current nomination to UNESCO World Heritage status. In addition to the presentation of the inventory and management plan for the nominated historic area, the World Heritage application requires that ‘The Penang Story’ be told. ‘The Penang Story’ project thus aims to help validate Penang’s outstanding cultural significance, by exploring the rich social history behind this unique multicultural living community and built heritage.

The conference was organised by The Penang Heritage Trust in collaboration with The STAR Publications. The main sponsors were The Japan Foundation and the ABN-AMRO Bank; the co-sponsors are the Canadian High Commission and the Penang State Government. The official hotel was The City Bayview Hotel, Penang.