Negotiating indigenous identity in postcolonial Malaysia
Beyond being 'not quite/not Malay
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3040244 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alice M Nah (0000-0002-0253-0334, National University of Singapore, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 511-534 |
| Publication date | 2003-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Identities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1350-4630 • E-ISSN: 1363-0296 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1350463032000174650 |
| OpenAlex | W2106706836 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 20 |
| References cited | 4 |
In this paper, I demonstrate that the position of the postcolonial ‘Self’ in Malaysia is legitimized through inherited imperial mechanisms of power, both structural and ideological. The emergence of this ‘new-Self’ was situated in colonial discursive practices that positioned it as an ‘Other’ under British colonial rule. As such, this creates unexpected binds for the ‘new-Self’, particularly as it negotiates its relations with a number of ‘new-Others’. Up to the present, indigeneity has remained the main basis for legitimizing political power and the economic redistribution of wealth. However, this remains persuasive only when it is seen as primordial and timeless, essentially located in certain individuals in an unchallengeable manner. This basis of power, I argue, produces anxiety for the ‘Malay’ new-Self, for its claims to being essentially ‘indigenous’ come under questioning when Malay identity construction is set vis-a`-vis the Orang Asli (the ‘aborigines’ of the Malaysian Peninsula). I review the ways such anxieties have been managed in Malay responses to the Orang Asli, an ambivalent combination of acknowledgement, administration, rejection, and transformation. I argue that the ‘programme of progress’ that has been imposed upon the Orang Asli — which minimizes differences between them and the Malay ‘new-Self’ — masks the desire of the ‘new-Self’ for the impeccability and exclusivity of Orang Asli claims to indigeneity, a dual mimicry that continues to be repressed and transferred by constructing the Orang Asli as ‘not quite/not Malay’
Aesthetics · Colonialism · Ideology · Indigenous · Malay · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Asian Studies and History · Gender Studies · Law · Multilingual Education and Policy · Socioeconomic Development in Asia
Migrants as Brokers of Food Heritage Making
Strengthening Regional Identity Through The Management of The Museum Collection, Archives, and Building Sites of Malacca
The Sound of Silence
Recognizing indigenous identity in postcolonial Malaysian law
Compensating for development
Cultural activism, environmental (in)justice, and Indigenous (dis)possession
Bridging the Race Barrier
(Re)mapping Indigenous ‘Race’/Place in Postcolonial Peninsular Malaysia
Perdre sa langue, perdre son identité, se perdre. Le cas des enfants Orang Asli (aborigènes) de Malaisie
Schooling vs. Education, Hidden vs. Overt Curricula
Islamization in Malaysia
Gombak Hospital, the Orang Asli Hospital
Counter-global Cases for Place
Islands of indigeneity
Enclave space
Rethinking refugee surplus populations
A curious trajectory of interrace relations
In the Way of Development
The Hindu Rights Action Force and the Definition of the 'Indian Community' in Malaysia
Kinship and Semelai Residential Arrangements
| Unique citing works | 20 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,91 |
| Citation span | 2004 - 2026 (23) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 16 |