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Syed Farid Alatas is a Malaysian sociologist who has been highly influential in discussions about decolonising knowledge. He has also continued the legacy of his esteemed father, Syed Hussein Alatas, by furthering 'the School of Autonomous Knowledge' in the Malay Archipelago and beyond. This article presents a wide-ranging, comprehensive and rich dialogue between Farid and Leon Moosavi. In this conversation, pertinent questions are asked: How does Farid's approach to decolonising knowledge differ from other decolonial scholars? What exactly does Farid mean when he talks of 'intellectual imperialism', 'alternative discourses' and 'academic dependency'? This dialogue also explores Farid's extensive engagement with the Islamic/Muslim sphere, including topics such as: Ibn Khaldun, Muslim revivalism, Muslim sectarianism and the Islamisation of knowledge. The discussion also explores some potential critiques of Farid's intellectual contributions with challenging questions: Can Farid's theoretical ideals be applied in 'the real world' or are they confined to an audience of intellectual elites? Is Farid anti-Western? Or, actually, does his work inadvertently fall into the trap of Westerncentrism? This article offers a unique insight into the intellectual biography of one of the most notable social theorists of the current era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An autonomous social science tradition is one in which knowledge creation takes place amidst consciousness of the psychological and structural obstacles that mental captivity and intellectual imperialism present to students, academics, and people in general. The limitations imposed by the structure of intellectual imperialism and the ubiquity of the captive mind allow for various hegemonic orientations to dominate knowledge creation in such a way that limits originality in terms of the choice of research problems, the application of theories and concepts, and the use of methods of data collection and modes of argumentation. This article defines autonomous knowledge, and discusses the hegemonic orientations that autonomous knowledge seeks to gain autonomy from. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The papers of this special issue, "Intellectual Decolonization: Contexts, Critiques and Alternatives", deal with the broad issue of intellectual decolonization or the decolonization of knowledge in the social sciences. Together, the six articles provide contextual, critical and alternative views of what intellectual decolonization means and entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-1913.2007.00192.x Byline: Syed Farid Alatas (1) Author Affiliation: (1)National University of Singapore Singapore

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-1913.2007.00183.x Byline: Syed Farid Alatas