Book Description

"Through celebrating the work of Shahril Talib Robert, the authors in this volume remind us of a deeper economic and political heritage that is often lost in the rubble of confusing national politics. All who care for Malaysia will find the studies here an uplifting affirmation of the value of open-minded and dedicated scholarship. I congratulate the editors and their colleagues for bringing so much more of the country's varied foundations to our attention." - -- Prof. Wang Gungwu, National University of Singapore, Singapore This book brings together a set of incisive essays that interrogate Malaysian history and social relations which began during pre-colonial times, and extended to colonial and post-colonial Malaysia. It addresses economic misinterpretations of the role of markets in the way colonial industrialisation evolved, the nature of exploitation of workers, and the participation of local actors in shaping a wide range of socioeconomic and political processes. In doing so, it takes the lead from the innovative historian, Shaharil Talib Robert who argued that the recrafting of history should go beyond the use of conventional methodologies and analytic techniques. It is in that tradition that the chapters offer a semblance of causality, contingency, contradictions, and connections. With that, the analysis in each chapter utilises approaches appropriate for the topics chosen, which include history, anthropology, sociology, economics, politics, and international relations. The collection of chapters also offer novel interpretations to contest and fill gaps that have not been addressed in past works. The book is essential reading for history students, and those interested in Malaysian history in particular. Rajah Rasiah is Distinguished National Professor of Economics at the Asia Europe Institute, University of Malaya. Azirah Hashim Azirah Hashim is Senior Professor in the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics. Jatswan Singh Sidhu Hernam Singh is associate professor in the Department of International and Strategic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. .