The Symbolic Universe of the UKM: A Semiotic Analysis of the National University of Malaysia

This paper is an attempt to unravel the symbolism and the universe of meaning connected with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), the National University of Malaysia. Taking the methodology of analysis from social and urban semiotics, phenomenology, and post-modern social theory, the paper explores the symbolic triangle of Islam, adat, and ruler - symbolized by buildings, names, and locations - on. the campus. On the other hand, the paper argues that the academic part of the symbolic universe of the UKM is derived from the British model and has been globalized and integrated into the international world of learning. In the most recent phase of construction work the symbolism of the Malay world has been abandoned and replaced by signs and styles taken from either Southeast Asian or a post-modern symbolic repository.