The invention of politics in colonial Malaya : contesting nationalism and the expansion of the public sphere /

Milner argues against using nationalism as a paradigm of analysis because nationalism never achieved hegemony as a defined and widely accepted doctrine in Malaysia. Critical of the conventional approach to the analysis of postcolonial societies, Milner examines the "invention" of politics in specific situations, by focusing on the language of politics and how it is created in a particular historical and cultural context. He analyzes selective writings of Malays in the last two centuries, when dominating ideas were formulated. These ideas were experimental and progressive, in the midst of competing advocates among the sultanate, the Islamic congregation, and the Malay race. There is disagreement on loyalty, identity, and the past and future of the Malay society, yet different and diverse ideological debates might also have given substance to the development of the modern Malay state. Until these competing debates are resolved, what binds together Malaysia may be the bureaucracy, the communication system, and the structure of the state economy, which has thrived in the last two decades. Extensive use of Malay-language sources; one map. Suitable for upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. H. T. Wong; Eastern Washington University