A Short History of Malaysia: Linking East and West

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

One of the last British colonies to achieve independence, Malaysia has been developed by its leaders as a model of rapid modernization. From an earlier image as a romantic tropical backwater, it is now a self-conscious, rapidly developing, hi-tech nation-state, stretching from Thailand to the sea boundaries of the Philippines. But the past remains a crucial part of Malaysia's present. In this concise history, Virginia Matheson Hooker takes the lives of individuals as examples of their times and describes how the peoples of Malaysia became masters of their extremely varied environments - not only by exploiting the rich natural advantages, but by linking into the complex patterns of trade in the region. Many of the skills of diplomacy, alliance and adaptation Malaysians developed over the centuries are used today as the country embraces globalization while still participating in international life in distinctly Malaysian ways. From the origins of its aboriginal peoples, through the years of Western domination, to the forceful culture politics of Dr Mahathir, this is a lively and informative account of Malaysia's past and the major trends in its contemporary political life and the challenges it faces in the 21st century.

Reviews

I cannot welcome this series warmly enough. It is sure to be a winner and much needed. Bill Bryson, author, "In a Sunburned Country" and "A Walk in the Woods""
"I cannot welcome this series warmly enough. It is sure to be a winner--and much needed." --Bill Bryson, author, "In a Sunburned Country" and "A Walk in the Woods"

Author Bio

Virginia Matheson Hooker is an internationally recognised authority on traditional Malay literature and historiography and has published widely in those fields. She is currently Professor of Indonesian and Malay in the Faculty of Asian Studies at the Australian National University. In Malaysia, she is best known for her research on one of the most authoritative indigenous histories of the Malay world, Raja Ali Haji's Tuhfat al-Nafis (The Precious Gift). She has also written on Islam in Malaysia and is currently researching the relationship between Islam and social change in Indonesia.

Series Editor Milton Osborne has had an association with the Asian region for over 40 years as an academic, public servant and independent writer. He is the author of eight books on Asian topics, including Southeast Asia: An introductory history, first published in 1979 and now in its eighth edition, and, most recently, The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future, publi