The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (MBRAS) is a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...

based in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Established in 1877, the society is dedicated to the collection, recording and communication of geographic, historic and cultural information about

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

. A primary objective of the society is the encouragement of the study of the region by publishing a journal and undertaking other scholarly activity. Although affiliated to the

Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

(RAS) it is completely autonomous, thanks to financial support from the governments of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei and other organizations. Members, however, have access to the library facilities of the RAS when in London.

History

The society was founded in Singapore in 1877 as the Straits Asiatic Society by a small group of expatriates led by Archdeacon (later Bishop)

George Hose George Frederick Hose (3 September 1838 – 26 March 1922) was an Anglican clergyman, Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak from 1881 to 1909. Hose was born on 3 September 1838 in Brunswick Place, Cambridge, the son of Frederick Hose, a clerk, and his w ...

. In 1878, having sought and obtained an affiliation with the RAS, it became the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society with 150 founder members, many of whom were colonial administrators. Archdeacon Hose became the first president, serving as such until 1908. Today the society has more than 1,000 members. During the colonial period the society was supported by grants from the government and donations from the Sultans of the Malay States and also benefitted from various privileges, such as government-provided premises and printing facilities. In 1923 the society's name was changed to recognise political changes to the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society and in 1954, when the Society was also relocated to Kuala Lumpur, to its current name. The journal was produced from the very early days of the society, initially as the ''Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society'' and currently as the ''

Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society The ''Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society'' (JMBRAS) is a scholarly journal published by the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (MBRAS). The journal covers topics of historical interest concerning peninsular Ma ...

''. Since then 309 journals have been published, as well as 48 monographs, and the journal is considered the oldest active publication in the region.

Presidents

References

{{authority control Learned societies of Malaysia 1877 establishments in the British Empire