The Construction of Malay Identity across Nations: Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia

Abstract

The colonial & indigenous construction of Malay identity in contemporary West Malaysia (ie, Malay Peninsula, Riau archipelago, & East Sumatra) is examined. In the pre-colonial era, Melayu referred exclusively to those of royal (kerajaan) origin. In the colonial era, two generations of thought are distinguished: (1) the pro-Enlightenment early Scottish employees of the East India Company viewed human nature as uniform & the Malay as essentially equal to Westerners; (2) the mostly English administrators considered the "Malay race" inferior by nature. In indigenous thought, three geographically based trends in identity thought are discussed. On the Peninsula, the concept of bangsa has typically been based on cultural criteria, notably language (Malay), religion (Islam), & folklore (habitually following Malay customs). In Riau, the discourse was developed by political elitists who focused on kerajaan descent. In East Sumatra, the Malay identity was subsumed under Indonesian nationalism, which transcended ethnic categories, resulting in a focus on political (national) rather than cultural or social identity. J. Paul.