The International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA) traces its beginnings to the Philippine Historical Association (PHA), a group of history professors and writers that was active in commemorating historical events in the Philippines, and in disseminating available historical scholarship through its quarterly publication called the Historical Bulletin. In time, there arose the need to come together with scholars from other Asian countries to discuss common problems and pool resources and historical materials. This idea was first broached by Prof. Nicolas Zafra, President of the PHA (1958). Fr. Horacio de la Costa, S.J., and Dr. Domingo Abella were also instrumental in laying the groundwork for a conference of historians of Asia.
In 1960, an executive committee for the conference was constituted, headed initially by Prof. Zafra and, after his departure for abroad, by Dr. Abella. Funds for the conference were sourced from then Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia and The Asia Foundation. The conference had three main objectives:
- To afford scholars in different countries an opportunity to come together for an exchange of views, ideas, and information regarding what was being done in their respective countries toward the extension, improvement, and refinement of historical knowledge relative to the national and regional needs of Asian peoples.
- To find ways and means of solving common problems in research for fruitful information with a view to discarding myths, fables, and stereotyped claims appearing in the guise of facts in history books.
- To consider the possibility of organizing an association of historians living in this part of the world, having as its main objective the enhancement of the usefulness of written history as an instrument for the promotion of world peace, goodwill, and understanding.
The first conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA) was held in Manila on 25-30 November 1960. Carrying the main theme "Focus on Asia," it was envisioned primarily to give scholars from different countries an opportunity to come together and exchange ideas and information with regard to historical study and research in their respective countries. A second objective was to bring about, through an association of scholars from Asia, goodwill, peace, and closer cultural relations among Asian countries through the writing of history. Some thirty-four scholars from Burma, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Macao, Pakistan, Ryukyus, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United States attended this groundbreaking conference. To highlight the importance of the endeavor, President Garcia issued Proclamation No. 719, which declared the period of the conference, from 25 to 30 November 1960, History Week.
The first day (25 November) saw the opening ceremonies at the Session Hall of the Congress of the Philippines. The papers presented during the course of the conference were wide-ranging and diverse. Some of the concerns pertained to historical writing and historiography. These included Prof. Teodoro Agoncillo's "Our Usable Past," Dr. Gregorio F. Zaide's "New Frontiers in Philippine History," and Dr. Yu-Kai Wang's "The Progress of History and the Historical View." There were also papers on historical sources, such as Prof. Chang Kuei-Yung's "Material and Research on Modern Chinese History in Free China," and Dr. H. Otley Beyer's "Archaeological and Historical Sources Connecting the Philippines both with the Mainland of Eastern and Southeast Asia and with the Pacific Islands." Some papers dealt with economic and social history, such as Prof. Than Tun's "Agriculture in Burma AD 1000-1300," and Prof. Shin-en Tomimura's "Relation of Ryukyuan Kings' Trade with China to Internal Political Affairs." Other diverse topics included religious philosophy, music, pottery, and navigation.
Apart from the conference itself, the delegates adopted the constitution of the IAHA on 28 November 1960 at the Ateneo de Manila University, setting the stage for the long and fruitful IAHA tradition of historical scholarship and exchange among historians of Asia. The founding officers of the association were Domingo Abella as President, Chang Kuei-Yung, Yu-Kai Wang, and Toshio Kawabe as the first, second, and third Vice Presidents, respectively, Horacio de la Costa, S.J., as Secretary General, Lao Kan as Treasurer, and Sun Kwo-tung as Auditor.
The second IAHA conference was held on 6-11 October 1962 in Taipei, Taiwan, with fifty-four delegates from twelve countries, as well as more than a hundred delegates from various educational and cultural institutions in Taiwan. The papers presented covered such topics as new concepts of historiography, with emphasis on indigenous elements of a culture, international relations among Southeast Asian countries, trade, religion, and the like.
The third IAHA conference took place on 1-6 September 1964 in Hong Kong, attended by more than two hundred participants. In addition to the initial Asian countries represented, there were delegations from the United States, Australia, France, and Spain. The papers carried the following themes: American Policy in Southeast Asia, External Relations of China, Southeast Asia in the Period of European Territorial Expansion, Interpretations of Asian History, and Tradition and Change in Asian History, among others.
The fourth IAHA Conference was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, starting on 5 August 1968, with about 150 delegates from 25 countries. In general, the papers presented embraced a wider coverage of Asian problems, with the inclusion of more papers on East Asia and South Asia. Among the main issues raised were colonial administrations in various Asian countries and the rise of nationalism.
In May 1971, the IAHA returned to Manila for the fifth conference. Subsequent meetings made the rounds of Southeast Asia, with conferences held in Yogayakarta, Indonesia, in 1974; Bangkok, Thailand, in 1977; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1980; Manila in 1983; and Singapore in 1986. From here, the venues moved to Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 1988: Hong Kong in 1991; Tokyo, Japan, in 1994: Bangkok, Thailand, in 1996; and Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1998. The first conference of the new millennium was the sixteenth conference that took place in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. This was followed by the 2002 conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the 2004 conference in Taipei, Taiwan.
Through the years, the IAHA has proven to be the cutting edge of historical scholarship in Asia. In more recent conferences, papers have focused on such timely and relevant topics as migration, technology, globalization, inter-religious dialogue, and new historical paradigms. Participants have ranged from the established experts in their fields to up and coming young scholars. Participants have included historians as well as scholars from other disciplines. The aspirations and ideals of the founding fathers of the first IAHA have thus borne fruit in this dynamic and learned gathering of historians and scholars of Asia. The nineteenth IAHA conference scheduled for November 2006 in Metro Manila, Philippines, will continue the tradition of erudition and break new ground in the study of Asian culture and history.
