Communities in Malaysia have explored their local history through heritage photo walks led by De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) as part of a major Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded research project.
Associate Professor Jenifer Chao organised walks in the New Village of Jenjarom as part of the £1.24 million project, Resettling the Colonial Lens: Photography and the (Re)Making of Malaysia's New Villages.
The three-year international collaboration explores photography’s role during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) and how late colonial-era images continue to shape understandings of Malaysia's New Villages today. These villages were once barbed-wire resettlement camps created during the Emergency, and many have survived and evolved as urban and rural communities. The project brings together researchers and heritage organisations including ICOMOS Malaysia, Imperial War Museums and The National Archives.
The heritage photo walks invited members of the local community to capture photographs of beloved places, people and objects that reflect the village's history and culture using instant cameras. Participants then shared the stories behind their images, creating conversations about memory, heritage and the lasting impact of the village's colonial past.
Dr Chao said: “These heritage photo walks allow me to link my research theme with public engagement in a genuine and meaningful way. Through the photo walks, the residents use the camera to record their personal ties with the village and consider their own contemporary sense of place and belonging, all the while reflecting on that complex remoteness of colonial history.
“It was fascinating to see the joy and affection among the residents when they share their photographs and reminisce about growing up in a New Village. It was precisely that authenticity and those social bonds that colonial photographs failed to capture and obscured.”
The initiative received a warm response from the local community. A representative from the project's local partner said: "The insights, encouragement and thoughtful engagement with the participants greatly enriched the experience and helped create meaningful discussions on photography, memory, aesthetics and our relationship with place.
"We are grateful for the collaboration with De Montfort University and appreciate the support extended to our community through this initiative. We hope to have the opportunity to work together again in the future."
Participants also reflected on how the experience had changed the way they viewed their community.
One participant said: "I have gained a deeper understanding of Jenjarom's history and a better appreciation of the meaning behind our reputation [in recent years] for being a 'happy village'."
Another added: "I am able to appreciate our village, where we grew up, from a wider range of perspectives. Whether it is the old streets, the weathered wooden houses, the temples or any other corner, each likely holds a story of its own."
Building on the success of the Jenjarom events, Dr Chao now hopes to organise further heritage photo walks in New Villages across Malaysia, continuing to work with communities to explore how photography can reveal, preserve and promote local histories.
The project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, runs until 2028.
Posted on Wednesday 26 August 2026