Of Nutmegs and Cloves: European Pirates in the Archipelago
THE Banda islands, in the province of Maluku, in the easternmost part of the Malay Archipelago were famous for nutmegs. It was for the Spices...
The Pan-Malayan Consciousness: Malaysia
THE Pan-Malayan consciousness was voiced during the struggle of Apolinario Mabini, dubbed the “Brain of the Revolution.” While the Philippine Revolution of 1896 was the...
The Hispanized Malay: The Philippines in the Malay World
TO this day, the Filipino is still seeking his identity. The ghost of the Spanish colonial order lingers on. I have encountered colleagues and acquaintances...
Unveiling Tempo: A Cultural History
INDONESIA’S Tempo magazine provided a window to the nation’s New Order. The weekly was popular among some of us in Malaysia journalism schoosl back in...
Nakhoda Light in the Malay World
I begin with an old narrative. I am rehearsing this week’s column with the mention on the history of Penang, or of George Town. Immediately...
A Kedah Island: the stolen past of Pulau Pinang
THE story of this island of Kedah is contested. The Eurocentric narrative accords Francis Light the founding status of Pulau Pinang in 1786. This has...
The Jawi Peranakan: Early Popular Expressions of Malay Identity in the Archipelago
The newspaper Jawi Peranakan (1876 – 1895), the first Bahasa Melayu periodical in Malaysia grew from the enterprise of the Jawi Peranakan community. It was...
Khabar from Tanjong: Bahasa Melayu Newspapers in Early Pulau Pinang
EARLY Tanjong Malay life is understated. The Bahasa Melayu newspapers then provided a window to the dynamics of her cultural and intellectual expressions. The early...
The Road to Bukittinggi: Aziz Ishak’s Rendition in his Mencari Bako
In his Mencari Bako (Searching for Roots), published in 1983, a memoir of his journey in search of origins and ancestors, Abdul Aziz Ishak tells...
Rantau and Merantau: Geography and Soul
PROF. Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Murad Merican RANTAU and merantau has been embedded this region since time immemorial. It manifests the spirit of the homeland long...