The 14th International
Malaysian Studies Conference
Sustainable Development, Vulnerabilities and Resilience: Malaysia and Asean
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
12-13 August 2025 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
MSC14 CONVENORS
Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia (Malaysian Social Science Association – PSSM) in cooperation with the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) will be convening MSC14 on the 12-13 of August 2025 in UNIMAS.
OBJECTIVES
- To bring together scholars, both Malaysians and Malaysianists, for the purpose of scholarly exchange and interaction based on their research findings and reflections on Malaysian studies.
- To analyse opportunities, issues and problems related to the MSC14 theme in Malaysia and the region.
- To examine the state of Malaysian studies and to suggest ways for its advancement, within the broader context of sustainable development, vulnerabilities and resilience in Malaysia and ASEAN member states.
SCOPE & SUB-THEMES
- Theorising sustainable development, vulnerabilities and resilience towards envisioning a new national narrative in the context of global uncertainties
- Impactful social science research on sustainable development
- Climate change and vulnerable human conditions
- Artificial intelligence, advanced technologies and challenges in knowledge development
- Education & online teaching & learning
- Social media and challenges of fake news
- Political contestations, ethno-religious populism and cultural diversity
- ASEAN regionalism and border issues
- Comparing SDGs in Malaysia and ASEAN plus
- Geopolitics of South China Sea: Whither Malaysia?
- Agricultural and coastal communities
- Food security
- Gender, social development and politics
- Literature, language and communication
- National integration and social inequalities
- Institutional reforms and the public sector
PANEL PROPOSALS
- Institutional panels – These are panels organised by institutions such as research centres, departments, institutes and faculties.
- Thematic panels – These are panels organised by convenors on selected themes. The convenor is responsible for deciding the theme and organising the presenters.
- Individual panels – These are panels consisting of individual paper presenters put together by the MSC14 Organising Committee.
- The standard format of a poster is similar to that of an oral scientific presentation and includes an Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions, and Recommendations. The printed poster should be in A2 ( 42×59.4cm).
Individual paper presenters may select one of the subthemes their papers fall under but the Organising Committee reserves the right to make the final decision as to which panel they will go into.
Note: As has been the practice in past MSCs, institutional panels will bear the institution’s name, to raise the profile of the institution. Institutional panels are required to pay an additional institutional registration fee of RM 1,200.00 . This does not include the registration fee for each individual paper presenter.
REGISTRATION & SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS
- Abstract proposals of about 300 words should be submitted to the MSC14 Secretariat, latest by 15 February 2025.
- Those who plan to organise institutional panels must submit their panel abstracts of about 300 words by the same date (15 February 2025). Individual paper abstracts must be submitted together with panel abstracts. The length of the paper abstracts will also be 300 words.
- The Committee will vet the abstracts and inform the writer of its status by 15 March 2025.
- Soft copies of the full written papers (4000-6000 words maximum) must be submitted latest by 15 May 2025. Some selected papers will be screened by the MSC14 organisers, and will be considered for publication in the Southeast Asian Social Science Review (SEASSR), an indexed journal jointly published by PSSM and the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), UKM. Visit our website for more details on the journals: www.seassr.com
To ensure the smooth running of the Conference, the Organising Committee reserves the right to accept or reject any panel or paper proposal. It is also the right of the Organising Committee to proceed with or call off any panel due to unforeseen circumstances. Only those with full papers will be allowed to make presentations at the Conference. Powerpoint slides are not considered as papers. Roundtables or forums on selected topics that need not necessarily have written papers can only be organised by the MSC14 Organising Committee.
REGISTRATION FEE
Presenters and Participants from Malaysia (including international scholars in Malaysia)
| MEMBERSHIP | FEES (RM) |
|---|---|
| PSSM Members | RM 600.00 |
| Non-Members | RM 800.00 |
| Students (PSSM members) | RM 350.00 |
| Students (Non-Members) | RM 450.00 |
| Fee for Institutional Panel | RM 1,200.00 |
| Participant | RM 200.00 |
International Presenters and Participants
| MEMBERSHIP | FEES (USD) |
|---|---|
| PSSM Members | USD 150.00 |
| Non-Members | USD 200.00 |
| Students (PSSM members) | USD 75.00 |
| Students (Non-Members) | USD 100.00 |
| Fee for Institutional Panel | USD 300.00 |
| Participant | USD 40.00 |
POSTER REGISTRATION FEE
Presenters and Participants from Malaysia (including international scholars in Malaysia)
| MEMBERSHIP | FEES (RM) |
|---|---|
| PSSM Members | RM 450.00 |
| Non-Members | RM 500.00 |
| Students (PSSM members) | RM 300.00 |
| Students (Non-Members) | RM 350.00 |
International Presenters and Participants
| MEMBERSHIP | FEES (USD) |
|---|---|
| PSSM Members | USD 150.00 |
| Non-Members | USD 200.00 |
| Students (PSSM members) | USD 70.00 |
| Students (Non-Members) | USD 100.00 |
MODES OF PAYMENT
Those in Malaysia can deposit the sum directly into PSSM’s account, screenshot or scan and email the receipt to the MSC14 Organizing Committee with their name and MSC14 written on it. Local Order (LO) is also accepted. A link will be sent to you after verification of payment.
Participants who reside overseas can transmit their payment in US dollars directly into PSSM’s account and screenshot or scan and email the receipt to the Organizing Commitee with their name and MSC14 written on it. The payer, however, must bear any bank charges incurred in the transaction. A link to the conference will be sent after verification of payment.
The registration fee for participant can be paid the latest by 31 May 2025.
ALL REGISTRATION FEES ARE NOT REFUNDABLE
| Name of payee | Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia |
| Name of bank | Commerce International Malaysia Berhad (CIMB) KL Gateway Mall, LG-02 Kerinchi 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Account Number | 8001 2813 69 |
| Swift code | CIBBMYKL |