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C.M. (Mary) Turnbull's contributions to historical writing on Singapore extended from her 1962 thesis, published in 1972 as "The Straits Settlements, 1826-1867: Indian Presidency to Crown Colony", to her magisterial history of Singapore, first published in 1977 and re-issued in 2009 in an updated edition as A History of Singapore, 1819-2005. Her approach to history involved detailed work with documents and published materials, with a particular focus on political and economic history. One contributor to the present volume described the book as an "exercise in endowing a modern 'nation-state' with a coherent past that should explain the present." As styles in history evolved, younger scholars...
In 1938, noting that the bulk of the Indian population formed a "e;landless proletariat"e; and despairing of the ability of the factionalized Indian community to unite in pursuit of common objectives, activist K.A. Neelakanda Ayer forecast that the fate of Indians in Malaya would be to become "e;Tragic orphans"e; of whom India has forgotten and Malaya looks down upon with contempt"e;. Ayer's words continue to resonate; as a minority group in a nation dominated politically by colonially derived narratives of "e;race"e; and ethnicity and riven by the imperatives of religion, the general trajectory of the economically and politically impotent Indian community has been one of increasing irreleva...
Decolonizing the History Curriculum in Malaysia and Singapore is a unique study in the history of education because it examines decolonization in terms of how it changed the subject of history in the school curriculum of two colonized countries – Malaysia and Singapore. Blackburn and Wu’s book analyzes the transition of the subject of history from colonial education to postcolonial education, from the history syllabus upholding the colonial order to the period after independence when the history syllabus became a tool for nation-building. Malaysia and Singapore are excellent case studies of this process because they once shared a common imperial curriculum in the English language schools...
This book is an innovative analysis of regime maintenance and transformation in Malaysia. It goes beyond familiar approaches centred on communal politics, or the corporate workings of Malaysia Inc., to stress the importance of power maintenance -- tracing a path from consociational bargaining, to authoritarian UMNO dominance, to Dr Mahathir's personal dominance.
Although the 1915 rising led by To'Janggut (or "Old Longbeard") was a relatively minor incident in a remote part of rural Kelantan, the episode has captured the imagination of the people of Malaysia. The story of To'Janggut's rebellion is recounted in folk tales, newspaper reports, and scholarly publications, and the author uses previously classified official reports and hitherto unknown photographs to shed further light on the episode.
The book tries to answer the questions: Who are the Kelabits? Why are they called Kelabits? Where do they live? When did they come to live there? What were their problems? What made them what they are today? What must they do inorder to advance forward?
Santhiram’s critique of history education in Malaysia’s school system, past and present is both valuable and timely. His study reaffirms that history’s considerable value as an educative and academic undertaking is too often hijacked by political elites. This study is a salutary reminder why such tendencies should be challenged. S. Gopinathan Professor & Former Dean, National Institute of Education, Singapore Is it true, Santhiram asks, that the origin of the Malaysian nation is from the 1400s onwards? What of the earlier periods with the influence of diverse groups from across Southeast Asia; what of the contribution of more recent Chinese and Indian migration? As Santhiram comments, ...