Just who are the Malays? This provocative study, now available in paperback, poses the question and considers how and why the answers have changed over time, and from one region to another. Anthony Milner develops a sustained argument about ethnicity and identity in an historical 'Malay' context.
The book offers a groundbreaking analysis of political debate within a significant Southeast Asian society, specifically focusing on the evolution of Malay nationalism. By critically examining key Malay texts from the 19th and 20th centuries, Anthony Milner challenges the conventional view of nationalism as a straightforward framework, revealing its complexities and contestations during this formative period.