Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’
The discourse on ethnic identity is a modern phenomenon. It came along with colonialism, in particular the construction of ‘colonial knowledge’ necessary for purposes of colonial ru,e. The creation of a ‘plural society’ in British Malaya provided the ‘epistemological basis and space’ not only for di...
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| Format: | Article |
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Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
1999
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4166/ |
| _version_ | 1848810428167094272 |
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| author | Shamsul A.B., |
| author_facet | Shamsul A.B., |
| author_sort | Shamsul A.B., |
| building | UKM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The discourse on ethnic identity is a modern phenomenon. It came along with colonialism, in particular the construction of ‘colonial knowledge’ necessary for purposes of colonial ru,e. The creation of a ‘plural society’ in British Malaya provided the ‘epistemological basis and space’ not only for discourse on ethnic identities but also the assification of ethnic categories into lived reality, be it in the ‘authority-defined’ context as well as the ‘everyday defined’ context. This essay traces the historical trajectory of the construction of Malaysia’s two major ethnic groups, namely, Malay and Chinese, as well as what constitutes “Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’. It also offers a brief comparative commentary on the latter. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T23:30:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:generic.eprints.org:4166 |
| institution | Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T23:30:21Z |
| publishDate | 1999 |
| publisher | Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | oai:generic.eprints.org:41662012-05-23T07:41:57Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4166/ Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’ Shamsul A.B., The discourse on ethnic identity is a modern phenomenon. It came along with colonialism, in particular the construction of ‘colonial knowledge’ necessary for purposes of colonial ru,e. The creation of a ‘plural society’ in British Malaya provided the ‘epistemological basis and space’ not only for discourse on ethnic identities but also the assification of ethnic categories into lived reality, be it in the ‘authority-defined’ context as well as the ‘everyday defined’ context. This essay traces the historical trajectory of the construction of Malaysia’s two major ethnic groups, namely, Malay and Chinese, as well as what constitutes “Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’. It also offers a brief comparative commentary on the latter. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 1999-07 Article PeerReviewed Shamsul A.B., (1999) Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’. AKADEMIKA, 55 . pp. 17-37. ISSN 0126-5008 http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/penerbit/jdem55-01.html |
| spellingShingle | Shamsul A.B., Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’ |
| title | Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’ |
| title_full | Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’ |
| title_fullStr | Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’ |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’ |
| title_short | Identity contestation in Malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘Malayness’ and ‘Chineseness’ |
| title_sort | identity contestation in malaysia: a comparative commentary on ‘malayness’ and ‘chineseness’ |
| url | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4166/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4166/ |