Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His recent books include The Eurasian Core and its Edges: Dialogues with Wang Gungwu on the History of the World (ISEAS 2016).

313 posts

Awake in Time for a Terengganu Sunrise

3 min read

Time is ticking by. Flash by flash, wave by wave, breath by breath. Azan by azan, full moon by full moon, sunrise by sunrise. Repeating, reiterating, reciting. And yet, this is but half the story of the universe.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Dealing With the Droppings of Daily Life

3 min read

Novelties, novelties and new fashions. All crowding our homes and our heads. Within this paraphernalia of modern living, we try to stay balanced.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Defining Penang Exceptionalism Through Its Geography, Its Biology and Its Human History

4 min read

One trait in people from Penang is that they are passionate about the place. Besides being their home, it is almost a holy place to them—a blessed place that inspires, attracts and awes most visitors.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

As the Sun Warms the Valley…

3 min read

I AM IN the foothills of the peninsula’s main mountain range, off Gopeng. It is early morning, 7am. From…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Simple Tools for Taming Your Prejudices

4 min read

I AM STRONGLY convinced that as long as children continue to be brought up to learn behaviours and imbibe ideas…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

History: Mankind's Pursuit of Self-understanding and Self-acceptance

3 min read

IT IS OFTEN SAID—way too often—that “History belongs to the Victor”. There is of course a lot of…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Between The Microcosmic and The Macrocosmic: We Are All Giants Now

3 min read

YOU WOULD HAVE seen them. Mobile drone shots of cities, done with the camera pointed straight down to capture the…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

I Know Why Penang Food Is So Amazing...

3 min read

BORN WITHOUT ANY spoon of any metal in my mouth, food was a matter of having enough to dispel any…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Climate Change: A Timeless Concern

3 min read

CLIMATE CHANGE. The phrase rings with an alliterative charm, yet it evokes a notion that is far from simple. It invites us to consider our relationship with the elements and...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

After 15 Rousing Years, the Penang Renaissance Still Resonates Clearly

8 min read

We are at one of those self-appraising points in time when we—not only Penang Monthly, but also Penang Institute as a whole—stare hard into the rearview mirror in order to orientate our journey forward.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Endorsing Wanderlust: Travel to Live, Travel to Learn

10 min read

A BABY SHOULD cry at birth. It must be traumatic being born, after all. The compressing comfort of the womb…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

The Art of Getting Creative and Staying Creative

3 min read

I HAVE AN iPhone 15 Plus Max. It is equipped with the best phone camera in the world and I…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng