Description
Just who are ‘the Malays’? This provocative study poses the question and considers how and why the answers have changed over time, and from one region to another. Anthony Milner develops a sustained argument about ethnicity and identity in an historical, ‘Malay’ context. The Malays is a comprehensive examination of the origins and development of Malay identity, ethnicity, and consciousness over the past five centuries.
- Covers the political, economic, and cultural development of the Malays
- Explores the Malay presence in Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, as well as the modern Malay show-state of Malaysia
- Offers diplomatic speculation about ways Malay ethnicity will develop and be challenged in the future
Table of Contents
List of Figures viii
List of Maps ix
Preface and Acknowledgements x
Note about the Author xiv
1 Thinking about ‘the Malays’ and ‘Malayness’ 1
2 Early Histories: Engaging India and Islam 18
3 The Sultanates 47
4 A ‘Malay’ or Kerajaan World? 75
5 Experiencing Colonialism, and the Making of the Bangsa Melayu 103
6 Building ‘Malays’ into Nation States 145
7 Multiple Forms of ‘Malayness’ 186
8 Ethnicity, Civilization and the Fear of ‘Disappearing from this World’ 229
Bibliography 243
Index 275
