Karl Hack

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"Empire: 1492-1975 (A326)"., which has been delivered by blended online and traditional methods to several hundred students yearly since 2009. [6] From 2009 to December 2015 he was director of the Ferguson Centre for Asian and African Studies, editing its series of online working papers. [7] He has also served as head of the Open University History Department, and in August 2016 he became inaugural head of the new School of History, Religious Studies, Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology (HRSSC). In 2016 he also chaired production of an entirely online dissertation module, A329 The Making of Welsh History, which trialled new methods of direct authoring of online modules, and of involving students as co-educators in an intensive and continuous online learning community. [1] The dissertations are online here.

Public engagement

Together with Dr Kevin Blackburn of NTU, Dr Hack led the historical consultancy behind the new Singapore heritage site, the Johore Battery, which opened in 2002. [8] [9] They also took the lead in organizing the 2005 Forum with the Wartime Generation at the Singapore History Museum and The Japanese Occupation Conference, which was open to students and the public at what is now known as the National Museum of Singapore. [5] [10]

He was also the Open University's lead academic on the BBC series Empire – which was first aired on BBC One from February to May 2012 as well as being issued as a DVD – producing a historical poster, of which more than 63,700 hard copies were distributed. The latter was expanded into the website "Selling Empire: The Empire Marketing Board". (OpenLearn, The Open University), which has informed public understanding of the Empire Marketing Board in particular. [11] Other radio and television work has included interviews for Radio 4's Terror Through Time series, and appearing on Crisis in Malaya, Black Ops episode 8, series 2 (2014), talking about the Malayan Emergency.

In 2012 he was expert witness in the Penang High Court, testifying on the historically contested and diverse ways and degrees to which people could be defined as 'communist' in Malaysia and Singapore. [12] [13]

He is also involved with the Imperial War Museum in a collaborative studentship, jointly supervising doctoral research on The Impact of postwar counter-insurgency on the British military. [14] [15]

Personal life

In 1989, Karl married Vanessa Jones. Together they have two daughters and one son. He is a member of Oxford Hawks Hockey Club and was formerly a member of Ceylon Sports Club, Singapore.

Selected books

  • Defence and decolonisation in Southeast Asia : Britain, Malaya and Singapore 1941-1967. Richmond: Curzon. 2001. ISBN   9780700713035.
  • Did Singapore have to fall? Churchill and the impregnable fortress. London: RoutledgeCurzon. 2004. ISBN   9780415308038. With Kevin Blackburn.
  • Colonial armies in Southeast Asia. New York, NY: Routledge. 2005. ISBN   9780415334136. Edited with Tobias Rettig
  • Dialogues with Chin Peng: new light on the Malayan Communist Party. Dialogues and papers originating from a workshop with Chin Peng held at the Centre for the Study of the Chinese Southern Diaspora, Australian National University, Canberra, 22-23 February 1999 (Repr. ed.). Singapore: Singapore University Press. 2004. ISBN   978-9971-69-287-2.Singapore: NUS Press, 2004). Chinese edition in 2006. Edited with C.C. Chin.
  • Forgotten captives in Japanese-occupied Asia. London: Routledge. 2008. ISBN   9780415426350. With Kevin Blackburn.
  • Singapore from Temasek to the 21st century : reinventing the global city. Singapore: NUS Press. 2010. ISBN   978-9971-69-515-6. Edited with Jean-Louis Margolin and Karine Delaye. Also University of Chicago Press.
  • Les décolonisations au XXe siècle : la fin des empires européens et japonais. Paris: A. Colin. 2012. ISBN   978-2-200-24945-8. With Pierre Brocheux et al.
  • War memory and the making of modern Malaysia and Singapore. Singapore: NUS Press. 2012. ISBN   978-9971-69-599-6.With Kevin Blackburn. Also University of Chicago Press.

Selected online materials

Selected articles and chapters

  • 'Detention, Deportation, and Resettlement: British Counterinsurgency and Malaya's Rural Chinese, 1948–60'. Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 43, 5 (2015), pp. 611–640
  • 'Everyone lived in fear: Malaya and the British way of counter-insurgency'. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 23, 4–5 (2012), pp. 671–699
  • 'Framing Singapore's History', in Nicholas Tarling, ed., Studying Singapore's past: C.M. Turnbull and the history of modern Singapore. Singapore: NUS Press. 2012. ISBN   978-9971-69-646-7. pp. 17–64
  • 'The Malayan Emergency as counter-insurgency paradigm'. Journal of Strategic Studies, 32, 3 (2009), pp. 383–414
  • 'The origins of the Asian Cold War: Malaya 1948'. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 40, 3 (2009), pp. 471–496

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan Emergency</span> 1948–1960 conflict in British Malaya

The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War(1948–1960), was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces of the Federation of Malaya, British Empire and Commonwealth. The communists fought to win independence for Malaya from the British Empire and to establish a socialist economy, while the Malayan Federation and Commonwealth forces fought to combat communism and protect British economic and colonial interests. The term "Emergency" was used by the British to characterise the conflict in order to avoid referring to it as a war, because London-based insurers would not pay out in instances of civil wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibrahim of Johor</span> Sultan of Johor (r. 1895–1959)

Sultan Sir Ibrahim Al-Masyhur ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Al-Khalil Ibrahim Shah was a Malaysian sultan and the 22nd Sultan of Johor and the 2nd Sultan of modern Johor. He was considered "fabulously wealthy."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan Communist Party</span> Far-left political party in Malaya

The Malayan Communist Party (MCP), officially the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), was a Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist communist party which was active in British Malaya and later, the modern states of Malaysia and Singapore from 1930 to 1989. It was responsible for the creation of both the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army and the Malayan National Liberation Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johor Sultanate</span> Sultanate of Johor

The Johor Sultanate was founded by Malaccan Sultan Mahmud Shah's son, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan campaign</span> 1941–1942 World War II military campaign

The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the Malay Operation, was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units and the Imperial Japanese Army, with minor skirmishes at the beginning of the campaign between British Commonwealth and Royal Thai Police. The Japanese had air and naval supremacy from the opening days of the campaign. For the British, Indian, Australian, and Malayan forces defending the colony, the campaign was a total disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Singapore</span> Singaporean history

The history of the modern state of Singapore dates back to its founding in the early 19th century; however, evidence suggests that a significant trading settlement existed on the island in the 14th century. The last ruler of the Kingdom of Singapura, Parameswara, was expelled by the Majapahit or the Siamese before he founded Malacca. Singapore then came under the Malacca Sultanate and subsequently the Johor Sultanate. In 1819, British statesman Stamford Raffles negotiated a treaty whereby Johor would allow the British to locate a trading port on the island, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Crown colony of Singapore in 1867. Important reasons for the rise of Singapore were its nodal position at the tip of the Malay Peninsula flanked by the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the presence of a natural sheltered harbour, as well as its status as a free port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early history of Singapore</span> Pre-19th century records of the Southeast Asian island

The early history of Singapore refers to its pre-colonial era before 1819, when the British East India Company led by Stamford Raffles established a trading settlement on the island and set in motion the history of modern Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayan National Liberation Army</span> 1949–1989 communist guerrilla army in Malaysia (formerly Malaya)

The Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA), often mistranslated as the Tentera Pembebasan Kebangsaan Malaya, was a communist guerrilla army that fought for Malayan independence from the British Empire during the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) and later fought against the Malaysian government in the Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989). Their central committee was a trade union activist known as Chin Peng who had previously been awarded an OBE by the British for waging a guerrilla war against the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Many MNLA fighters were former members of the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) which had been previously trained and funded by the British to fight against Japan during the Second World War.

Sir Richard Olaf Winstedt, or more commonly R. O. Winstedt, was an English Orientalist and colonial administrator with expertise in British Malaya.

Lau Yew, born Liu Chang-biao, was a prominent member of the Malayan Communist Party. He was a member of the Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA)'s Central Military Committee during World War II.

To promote relationships and cooperation among the Chinese business community within the state, and to safeguard, uphold and fight for their economic rights, miners, Mr. Foo Choo Choon and Yau Tuck Seng led a group of businessmen to form the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce in 1907.

Dato' Bendahara Seri Maharaja Tun Habib Abdul Majid was the 19th Bendahara of the Johor Sultanate during the late 17th century. The Johor Sultanate under Sultan Mahmud Shah II saw a gradual decline of royal authority during Tun Habib's tenure as the Bendahara of Johor. Internal challenges within the Sultanate faced by Tun Habib consolidated his power as the Bendahara, in which case the Bendahara monopolised legitimate authority over the Johor Sultanate by the 1690s. After his death, Tun Habib's descendants spanned throughout the Johor Sultanate and established ruling houses in Riau-Lingga, Johor, Pahang and Terengganu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malayness</span> Socio-political term

Malayness is the state of being Malay or of embodying Malay characteristics. This may include that which binds and distinguishes the Malay people and forms the basis of their unity and identity. People who call themselves Malay are found in many countries in Southeast Asia, united by a notional shared identity but divided by political boundaries, divergent histories, variant dialects and peculiarities of local experience. While the term 'Malay' is widely used and readily understood in the region, it remains open to varying interpretations due to its varied and fluid characteristics. 'Malay' as an identity, or nationality, is considered one of the most challenging and perplexing concepts in the multi-ethnic world of Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2/19th Battalion (Australia)</span> World War II Australian infantry battalion

The 2/19th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, which was raised for service during the Second World War as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force. After being formed in mid-1940, the battalion was allocated to the 22nd Brigade, which was part of the 8th Division. After completing training in Australia, in early 1941 the 2/19th deployed to Malaya, as part of the Australian force despatched to help bolster the British garrison there as tensions with Japan heightened. Following the commencement of hostilities against Japan, the 2/19th fought several actions in Johore, before withdrawing across the Causeway to Singapore. There, the battalion was involved in the Battle of Singapore in early February 1942, during which it suffered heavy casualties before being captured following the capitulation of the British garrison. The battalion's personnel subsequently spent the next three-and-a-half years as prisoners of war, before being released at the end of the conflict.

The Malaysian Communist Party (MCP) was a merger of the Communist Party of Malaya/Marxist-Leninist (CPM-ML) and the Communist Party of Malaya/Revolutionary Faction (CPM-RF). Both factions split out from the Malayan Communist Party in the 1970s. MCP traced its roots to splinter groups amongst communist guerrillas in southern Thailand in the 1970s. The party conducted armed struggle in the Malaysian-Thai border areas between 1983 and 1987. The former CPM-RF members lay down their arms on 13 March 1987 and the former CPM-ML members lay down theirs on 28 April 1987. It eventually accepted a deal for cessation of hostilities with the Thai military and its cadres were resettled in 5 'friendship villages'.

The Templer Plan was a political directive which laid out High Commissioner General Gerald Templer’s plan for the political and economic development of Malaya in the 1950s. It was outlined in a fifty-minute speech delivered on 19 March 1952, by General Templer to the Federal Legislative Council of Malaya. The Plan contained eighteen points on various social, economic, and political issues facing Malaya in light of the Malayan Emergency and as the nation prepared itself for self-government and eventually independence from the British. Several of the points were already covered in The Draft Development Plan of the Federation of Malaya 1950–55 which failed to be implemented due to The Malayan Emergency. It would serve as General Templer’s blueprint for governing the country during his two-year tenure as High Commissioner and Director of Operations of Malaya from 1952 to 1954.

Erika Tan is a London-based Singaporean contemporary artist and curator whose research-led practice emerges from her interests in anthropology and the moving image. Her recent research examines the postcolonial and transnational, working with archival artefacts, exhibition histories, received narratives, contested heritage, subjugated voices, and the movement of ideas, people and objects. She is a lecturer at the Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.

Lionel Astor "Lee" Sheridan is a former educator and academic who served as the first Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Malaya, and its successor universities, in Singapore. He has been considered the "Father of Legal Education in Malaya".

Anarchism in Malaysia arose from the revolutionary activities of Chinese immigrants in British Malaya, who were the first to construct an organized anarchist movement in the country - reaching its peak during the 1920s. After a campaign of repression by the British authorities, anarchism was supplanted by Bolshevism as the leading revolutionary current, until the resurgence of the anarchist movement during the 1980s, as part of the Malaysian punk scene.

<i>Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History</i>

Alias Chin Peng: My Side of History (2003) is the auto-biography of Malaysian communist leader Chin Peng, the former leader of the Malayan Communist Party who led the Malayan resistance against Japan during World War II, the resistance against the British occupation of Malaya during the Malayan Emergency, and later led communist forces during the Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Professor Karl Hack: OU people profiles". www.open.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  2. "National University of Singapore". www.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  3. "The Singapore Malay Community: Enclaves and Domains" (PDF). Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  4. "Chinatown as a Microcosm of Singapore" (PDF). National Institute of Education, NTU, Singapore. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Kevin Peter Blackburn: National Institute of Education, Singapore (NIE)". www.nie.edu.sg. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  6. "Empire: 1492-1975 (A326)". www.open.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  7. "Working papers: The Ferguson Centre for African and Asian Studies: Open University". www.open.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. "Johore Battery and surrounding area, online map by Karl Hack and Kevin Blackburn". habitatnews.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  9. Hack, Karl (May 2013). 'Preface' to William Nash and John Nash, 'The Story of the end of Johore Battery during the Battle for Singapore' (PDF) (Working Paper No. 5 ed.). Ferguson Centre, Open University. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  10. Blackburn, Kevin (2006). "The Public Forum with Veterans and the wartime generation in Singapore, 2005" (PDF). Oral History Association for Australia (Journal 28): 1–5. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  11. "REF Case study search". impact.ref.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  12. "Witness: Mat Indera confessed to being a communist member". BorneoPost Online - Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  13. Mastura, Nur Lina (3 March 2015). "Unfolding The History Of The Bukit Kepong Attack: Was Mat Indera Really A Freedom Fighter?". Malaysian Digest. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. "New collaborative Studentship with the Imperial War Museum - History at The Open University". www.open.ac.uk. Open University. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  15. "Funding success for Karl Hack and Alex Tickell - History at The Open University". www.open.ac.uk. Open University. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
Karl Hack
Born
NationalityBritish
TitleHead of the School of History, Religious Studies, Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology
Spouse
Vanessa Jones
(m. 1989)
ChildrenThree
Academic background
EducationHardye's School (now Thomas Hardye School), Dorchester, Dorset, UK
Alma mater Keble College, Oxford;
St Hugh's College, Oxford