D.S. Ranjit Singh Darar

Emeritus Professor Dr D.S. Ranjit Singh Darar is currently affiliated to the College of Law, Government and International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah. From 1973 to 2004, Ranjit served with the Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, University of Malaya in various positions, including as Tutor (1973–79), Lecturer (1979–90), Associate Professor (1991–97) and Professor (1998–2004). Since 2006, Ranjit has been attached to the School of International Studies (SoIS), Universiti Utara Malaysia. His areas of specialization include Malaysian History (Sabah and Sarawak); Political History of Southeast Asia, especially Brunei; International Relations; and Strategic Studies. Among his major publications are: Brunei 1838–1983: The Problems of Political Survival (Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1984; reprinted, 1991) and The Making of Sabah 1865–1941: The Dynamics of Indigenous Society (Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 2000, 3rd ed., 2011, Government of Sabah).

Ranjit was Visiting Scholar/Visiting Professor at the following institutions: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1984, 1991); University of Hiroshima (1996); the University of Indiana and University of Utah (1997); and the National University of La Plata, Argentina (2000). He was a consultant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was the leader of the team which prepared the historical evidence for Malaysia’s case at the ICJ pertaining to the country’s sovereignty over Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Ligitan. In 2002, Malaysia won the case when the ICJ, in a historic judgment, awarded sovereignty over the two islands to Malaysia. From 2011 to 2012, he served as a member of the Social Committee to study the history curriculum and textbooks for secondary schools. The report of the committee was submitted to the Ministry of Education on 15 May 2012. In October 2012, Universiti Utara Malaysia conferred upon him the prestigious title of Emeritus Professor.