The ASBAM (Archaeology, History, and Culture in the Malay World) is an international scientific conference held annually under the cooperation of two universities, namely the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia [ATMA-UKM] and Hasanuddin University [Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB UNHAS)]. The first ASBAM conference was held in 2012. It made the previous ASBAM held in 2021 the 9th ASBAM. Admittedly, ASBAM 9 was supposed to be held in 2020, but due to the global pandemic of Covid-19, it had to be shifted to 2021.

ASBAM has become an international scientific communication forum whose role is to communicate and disseminate the studies by humanities-based scientists at the world level, especially in the Southeast Asian region. The implementation of the 9th ASBAM conference involved the collaboration of ATMA-UKM, the Association of Malaysian Archeologists (IAAM), FIB UNHAS, Makassar Religious Research and Development, and BPCB South Sulawesi Province.

The 9th ASBAM took place from 27 to 28 October 2021, involving researchers and writers from six countries, namely: 1) Malaysia, 2) Indonesia, 3) the Netherlands, 5) Australia, and 6) the Philippines. “The Exploring of the Civilization and Socio-Cultural Dynamics in the Malay World” was the main theme of the 9th ASBAM. This main theme is grouped into 8 sub-topics of study, namely: 1] Management of Cultural Heritage; 2] Archaeology and Civilization; 3] Manuscript: Narrative of Civilization in Present Context; 4] Gender, Ethnicity, and Multiculturalism in Media; 5] Literature and Language Dynamics in the Pandemic Era; 6] Post-Pandemic Humanism; 7] Religious Moderation in Thought and Practice; 8] Spice Route and Maritime Trade in the Archipelago.

At last, we would like to thank all parties who have been involved and helped organise the 9th ASBAM Seminar and prepare this proceeding.

Muhlis Hadrawi
Head of Committee of the 9th ASBAM