…Formally speaking, the New Economy Policy had been replaced by the New Economic Order, which had been promulgated in the name of liberalism. Thus it may seem that the issues and concerns addressed by the book had been rendered irrelevant by the shift in policy. Against such proposition, I must say that my book addresses itself to the question of ideas, principles and weltanschaaung beyond mere policies and formality. It is therefore too early in the day to conclude that the new liberalism has definitively replaced the New Economic Policy (NEP) as an era and ethos, throwing into question the relevance of this book. It may well turn out to be that the issues and concerns of the book transcend superficial policy changes in a more fundamental way. -Shaharuddin Maaruf University of Malaya 15 April 2014 The sweep through the history of Malay political ideas which is to be encountered in Malay Ideas on Development from Feudal Lord to Capitalist – a sweep achieved with analytic skill and clarity – will stimulate new readers to seek more detailed examination of one targeted writer or another. Creating such desire is an indication of the book’s effectiveness. Juxtaposing one thinker with another, setting modern debate in the context of traditional political thought, proposing categories or streams of political thinking – ‘capitalistic nationalism’, ‘traditionalistic nationalism’ and so forth – is the best possible way of promoting a greater interest in the history of Malay political thinking, and not just as an academic enterprise. Shaharuddin Maaruf is one of a small handful of scholarly pioneers whose work has the capacity to enrich the quality of political debate in Malaysia. -Anthony Milner Basham Professor for Asian History, Australian National University

Syed Hussein Alatas and Critical Social Theory: Decolonizing the Captive Mind offers a variety of historical, religious, and philosophical perspectives into the significance of Syed Hussein Alatas’ life and thought today.

The Asian financial crisis has distracted attention from the realities of a growing affluent class in Asia. this latest volume in the New Rich in Asia series the authors examine the cultural reconfiguration, consumer behaviour, economic success and cultural status of the new rich. Case studies from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, India and China paint a picture of the real significance of the affluent classes and their effect on national, ethnic and religious restructuring.

The Malay population makes up Singapore's three largest ethnic groups. This book presents holistic and extensive analysis of the 'Malay Muslim story' in Singapore. Comprehensively and convincingly argued, the author examines their challenging circumstances in the fields of politics, education, social mobility, economy, leadership, and freedom of religious expression. The book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of Muslims in Singapore, and the politics of a Malay-Muslim minority in a global city-state. It is of interest to researchers and students in the field of Singaporean studies, Southeast Asian Studies and Islam in Asia.

This book offers a variety of essays and perspectives on some of the foreigners and traders who came to the Malay World and wrote fiction and “faction” (writing that portrays real people or events in a dramatised manner) during their sojourn – regardless of whether they continued to stay in the region, returned to their home country, or migrated to another country. The essays tend to cross generic and disciplinary boundaries as the contributors of this book are drawn from various fields within the arts and humanities, including history, geography, language and literature and translation. All of them, however, deal with colonial texts, the Malay World, or primarily cover the period from the 18th to the 20th century. Including readings of fiction, diaries, vignettes, letters written by traders or colonial officers, the uniqueness of this book lies in the personal, private and/or informal nature of the various documents studied. The encounters of these ‘outsiders’ with the ‘natives’ not only offer fascinating historical insights into the Malay World, but, to a significant degree, vividly express the views and personalities of the writers themselves, as mediated through their assigned commercial and colonial roles.

Kumpulan esei Shaharuddin Maaruf ini merenungi hubung kait antara Tradisi, pemodenan dan perubahan sosial dalam dunia Melayu-Islam Asia Tenggara. Persoalan Tradisi yang sungguh kompleks ini diamati dalam aspek-aspek khusus seperti persoalan kesinambungan sejarah, nilai-nilai, jati diri dan peranan orientasi agama dalam menentukan sifat dan hala tuju perubahan sosial ini. Etos-etos sejarah yang penting, seperti feudalisme dan kolonialisme, dan kesinambungannya dikaji dalam mencoraki pandangan hidup Asia Tenggara kontemporari. Ada diandaikan salah satu faktor terpenting dalam membentuk dan mencoraki Tradisi ialah elit dan nilai-nilai mereka. Justeru esei-esei juga meninjau asal-usul dan latar belakang sosial pembentukan mereka. Sementara menentukan kesinambungan Tradisi-tradisi dan sistem nilai-nilai mereka, kumpulan-kumpulan elit ini sendiri ditentukan sifat dan pandangan hidup mereka oleh kesinambungan-kesinambungan sejarah dari zaman lampau hingga ke hari ini. Dalam memperkatakan permainan antara Tradisi dan pemodenan, sudah tentunya perbincangan mencerahkan juga rintangan-rintangan terhadap pemodenan dan perubahan sosial yang berkemajuan. Aspek-aspek ini memang sentiasa menarik prihatin dan renungan mendalam tokoh-tokoh intelektual dan reformasi dari Tradisi Asia Tenggara. Sehubungan ini karya-karya Ibn Khaldun, Multatuli, Jose Rizal, Pramoedya Ananta Toer dikaji dalam kerangka tema besar esei-esei.

In this original and perceptive study Donna J. Amoroso argues that the Malay elites' preeminent position after the Second World War had much to do with how British colonialism reshaped old idioms and rituals _ helping to (re)invent a tradition. In doing so she illuminates the ways that traditionalism reordered the Malay political world, the nature of the state and the political economy of leadership. In the postwar era, traditionalism began to play a new role: it became a weapon which the Malay aristocracy employed to resist British plans for a Malayan Union and to neutralise the challenge coming groups representing a more radical, democratic perspective and even hijacking their themes. Leading this conservative struggle was Dato Onn bin Jaafar, who not only successfully helped shape Malay opposition to the Malayan Union but was also instrumental in the creation of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) that eventually came to personify an ïacceptable Malay nationalismÍ. Traditionalism and the Ascendancy of the Malay Ruling Class in Colonial Malaya is an important contribution to the history of colonial Malaya and, more generally, to the history of ideas in late colonial societies.

Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has become a globally-recognised industrial trading partner. With a 60% Muslim population, it also enjoys the reputation of being a moderate and peaceful nation. However, with just a short time left to realising its Vision 2020 of developed nationhood, the pathway of nation building still seems ambiguous. There is a brewing tension in its race and ethnic relations which has permeated the various fronts, namely politics, society, economics and education. This book analyses the education policies that have been formulated and implemented in Malaysia since independence. It demonstrates how these policy enactments have influenced the nation’s growth and transformation, and the challenges faced in creating a model of equity and multicultural co-existence among its racially and ethnically diversified people. Shedding light on these issues, it points towards the major mending that is needed for Malaysia to become a truly developed nation. Chapters include: Education of ethnic minorities in Malaysia: Contesting issues in a multiethnic society Access and equity issues in Malaysian higher education Graduate employability in government discourse: A critical perspective This comprehensive book is a case study on Malaysia that will supplement researchers and advance students in their understanding of a multi-racial society’s perspective and attitude towards education.