Our libraries will be closed on 8 Dec 2025 from noon onwards, with the exception of these spaces.

  • Central Library, Level 1 (excluding RBR; includes NUS Co-Op & Soup Spoon)

  • Medicine+Science Library, Level 1 Atrium & Level 2 Study Space

     

In addition, Central Library Level 4 will also be closed on 12 & 13 Dec 2025.  All other levels remain open as usual.

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Decolonial Dialogues: Beyond Texts and Cases

What quiet stories rest within objects and old texts, waiting for us to listen?

Join guest speaker Zinnurain Nasir as he shares his experiences in curating exhibitions through material culture and Jawi sources, and how these can become tools for storytelling and perspective-making rather than just objects on display. Drawing from his work in museums and heritage spaces, Zinn will reflect on the practical challenges and possibilities of decolonising exhibition frameworks beyond theory, asking how we can create spaces that are more inclusive, participatory, and community-driven. He will also discuss what it means to work with Jawi sources today, and how these texts can move beyond being static or purely archival, instead becoming dynamic vessels for new narratives and connections. Hear from student curators Rukhsana Bi and Nur Insyirah on their own journeys in the Decolonial Dialogues space, exploring new ways of telling stories through materials, texts, and lived experiences.

This conversation invites us to rethink how we engage with heritage, question dominant narratives, and imagine more expansive ways of curating. Reimagine how libraries, collections, and exhibitions can become spaces for deeper conversations and collective meaning-making.

Visit the Exhibition

This current iteration of Decolonial Dialogues features Perempuan Melayu...Biadab?, a decolonial exploration of colonial and self-representations of Malay women. The exhibition interrogates colonial narratives by centering empowering works and images of Malay women.

NUS Libraries’ Decolonial Dialogues, a new collaborative learning space within the Singapore-Malaysia Collection at NUS Central Library (Level 5). In the heart of our commitment to decoloniality lies the recognition and re-evaluation of dominant histories and hegemonic narratives. Hence, this initiative aims to spotlight our rare collection of colonial-era primary documents while serving as a platform to engage critically with these resources through a decolonial methodology.



Speakers

Zinnurain Nasir

Zinnurain Nasir

Assistant Centre Manager, HeritageSG (a subsidiary of National Heritage Board)
Zinnurain Nasir (Zinn) is an Assistant Centre Manager at HeritageSG, where he oversees a new outreach centre focused on intangible cultural heritage. His work explores the intersections of art, history, and material culture, with research interests in Nusantara textiles, Jawi-script magazines, and the microhistories of urban landscapes.

Previously an Assistant Curator (Singapore Studies & Art History) at the NUS Museum and Malay Heritage Centre, Zinn’s curatorial practice has been shaped by interdisciplinary approaches that highlight the transversalities and temporalities of sites and materials. His research foregrounds the deep connections between objects and the discourses they inhabit, challenging conventional views of art and artefacts as static displays. Instead, he advocates for understanding them as dynamic vessels of narrative and memory, especially within the Singaporean and broader Nusantara context.

Zinn has led and contributed to numerous curatorial projects, including Ng Eng Teng Gallery* (NUS Museum, 2024–2025), Busana Warisan Melayu (AKAR Festival, 2023), Cerita (Malay Heritage Centre, 2022), and Urang Banjar: Heritage and Culture of the Banjar in Singapore (Malay Heritage Centre, 2020). He is also invested in the evolving role of technology in curation—particularly how digital tools can democratise museum access and engage wider audiences. Through his work, Zinn aims to foster more inclusive, participatory experiences that connect communities with the layered stories embedded in cultural heritage.

Nur Insyirah

Nur Insyirah Binte Muhammad Azhari Abdullah

Student Curator
Nur Insyirah graduated from NUS in 2024 with a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours), double majoring in Sociology and Malay Studies. Passionate about encouraging discussions and sparking interest in critical social issues often overlooked or ignored, she actively pursued this mission through her involvement with the NUS Malay Studies Society. During her tenure, she played an instrumental role in the ideation and execution of a wide range of impactful events such as "The Deviant Shia: Fact or Fallacy?", "Managing Mental Health: Pills or Prayers?", "The Malay: Are We Destined to Fail?", "Islam 'Commodified': Preachers & Influencers in the New Business Model", and "Unshackling the 'Aql: Decolonising History, Language & Religion in Independent Singapore".

Rukhsana Bi

Rukhsana Bi D/O Abdul Wahid

Student Curator
Rukhsana is currently studying Political Science and Malay Studies in NUS. She is also a student research assistant at NUS Libraries where she gets to spend all day looking through archives from the Singapore/Malaysia Collection. She spends her time listening to music, reading books and trying new cafes! She also spends a considerable amount of time working on projects and events for the NUS Muslim Society, the NUS Malay Studies Society and the NUS Political Association.

Nur Diyana

Nur Diyana Binte Abdul Kader

Librarian (Research Librarian – HASS)
Diyana leads the Collection Development and Education Matrix at NUS Libraries. The matrix drives cross-cutting best practices in collection development and brings collections to life through talks, seminars, programmes, and collaborations with stakeholders within and beyond the library. She provides research and information services with a focus on Southeast Asia, develops collections, and teaches information literacy. Her writing appears in Budi Kritik (2018) and the forthcoming Syed Hussein Alatas and the School of Autonomous Knowledge (2025).

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