The Political and Economic Marginalisation of Tamils in Malaysia

Abstract

Examines the possible explanations for the ongoing marginalization & political subjugation of the Tamils in Malaysia. The absorption of the Tamils into Malaysian society has been a drawn-out process in comparison with the incorporation of other immigrant groups. At most, the Tamils are only somewhat incorporated, which is likely due to their history as a lower-caste people with strong bonds to their originating villages, the constraints on mobility imposed by the plantation labor system, & the fundamental transience of migrant labor. In the larger towns & cities of the Malaysian Peninsula, a part proletarian & part peasant community is now metamorphosed into what may be termed a "lumpenproletariat." K. Coddon.