Kajian Malaysia最新文献

{"title":"Work Never Works: On Malay Comedy’s Politics of Labour","authors":"A. Rahmat","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.9","url":null,"abstract":"What accounts for Malay comedy’s longstanding preoccupation with work? This article argues that it marks a way of questioning capitalism’s universality wherein labour is not regarded as human nature but a specific demand emerging out of a recent and modern symbolic order. The radicality of this move will be demonstrated via Alenka Zupančič’s dialectical account of how comedy functions through revealing the contingency of meaning. Malay comedies operate to similar effects through a regular use simulation – such as mimicry, impersonation and disguises – where the notion of “work” is singled out to be scrutinised and estranged. But beyond this, bringing Malay comedy into conversation with Zupančič allows for a historical materialist extension of comedy’s dialectical operation in two regards. First, meaning is contingent not due to the “nature” of concepts but the extent to which concepts are affected by historical capitalism. Second, the simulations stress the corporeality of this process as the comic body is reducible neither as “just another object,” nor idealised as an emancipatory experience as how it has been rendered by notable theories of comedy. It is, rather, a site where historical understanding takes place.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"203 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79948178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrasi Nasional dalam Novel Kanak-Kanak Terpilih","authors":"Faezah Muhayat, Nik Rafidah Nik Muhamad Affendi, Fazilah Husin","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.12","url":null,"abstract":"This objective of this study is to analyse national integration in two children’s novels, Rahsia Dhia (2014) by Zainun Mustapha and Iqbal Membina Jaya (2015) by Radzemah Bolhassan. This study was carried out based on previous literary reviews that reveal the application of national integration in children’s literature, especially novels, is less emphasised by the authors based on the notion that children’s novels are simple, relaxing and entertaining. Literature is one of the mediums that can serve as a vehicle for national integration in society especially children. Therefore, the inculcation of national integration in children’s novels should be given due consideration by the novelist so that the material presented is not only enjoyable to read, but knowledgeable and didactic, fostering the spirit of solidarity among children which is appropriate in the Malaysian multiethnic community. Furthermore, this study will utilise the ideas of the theory of literary sociology as an analytical framework. The findings show that the stories contained in the two novels examined, demonstrate the inculcation of national integration elements in children’s novels and loaded with messages educating children. The findings of the study also show that the themes used in the two novels are influenced by social, economic, political and educational changes and as well as historical factors that occur in Malaysia.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90242005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crouching Tiger, Ascending Dragon: The Trends and Dynamics Of Malaysia-China Relations","authors":"Yew Meng Lai, Maureen De Silva, Wang Yunqi","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.5","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the trends and dynamics of Malaysia-China relations, with emphasis on the post-Cold War era and beyond. More specifically, it explicates the interplay of external and domestic dynamics that have defined Malaysia’s China policy amid shifting regional strategic and domestic political milieu. This article contends that Malaysia’s “hedging” policy vis-à-vis China has been primarily shaped by the country’s ruling-elite’s perceptions of its external conditions in the context of East Asia’s evolving power dynamics, tempered by their domestic political expediency. It further argues that despite the periodical recalibrations having given the impression of policy-shifts, they have not fundamentally altered Malaysia’s China policy-approach. Instead, continuity rather than change has been the hallmark, since the “structural conditionalities” driving and constraining Malaysia’s relations with China continue to be informed by Malaysian rulingelite’s domestic political considerations, as they strive to optimise as much the country’s external interests, as to consolidate their domestic legitimacy. The findings inform Putrajaya’s persistence on “light-hedging” as the optimal policyoption, when dealing with Beijing, to advance Malaysia’s national survival and interests as a “smaller-state”, amid the evolving regional geopolitics, shaped by power asymmetry, rivalry and uncertainty.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78385638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Peranan Syeikh Abbas Bakar Rafiee dalam Pembaharuan Sistem Pendidikan Islam di Madrasah Al-Mashoor Al-Islamiah Pulau Pinang, 1922–1957","authors":"Ahmad Dzulfahmi Muhamad","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.10","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the development of the Islamic Educational system in Malaya, especially in Pulau Pinang between 1922 and 1957. This period is significant because the institutionalisation of the reform of the educational system based on the rapid development of both English and vernacular educational institutions in Malaya which rivalled the Islamic Educational institutions. This study focuses on the role of the third Headmaster of Madrasah al-Mashoor al-Islamiah, Syeikh Abbas Bakar Rafiee in bringing and implementing the idea of reform in the field of Islamic Education which was previously pioneered by Syed Syeikh al-Hadi. This study uses qualitative research methods based on primary and secondary sources using historical and thematic approaches. The results of the study show that Syeikh Abbas play a very important role in implementing this various madrasah reforms in terms of administrative and curriculum systems, introducing co-curricular activities and sending the students to further their studies in West Asia. In addition, Syeikh Abbas also played a significant role in establishing the madrasah girls’ section, the Madrasah al-Mashoor’s branch in Balik Pulau and in cooperating to establish a madrasah in Sabak Bernam modelled upon the Madrasah al-Mashoor. In addition, the headmaster also produced influential human capital that has brought changes in social awareness in society and played an important role in shaping the country’s history.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81238727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Moderate Propositional Theory of Literary Truth oleh Jukka Mikkonen: Satu Pengenalan Terhadap Kesusasteraan Melayu Moden","authors":"Nudra Shafini Halis Azhan, Mohd. Zariat Abdul Rani, Salmah Jan Noor Muhammad","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.11","url":null,"abstract":"This study stems from a literature review that discovers that main ideas of Moderate Propositional Theory of Literary Truth has been discussed and applied to multiple fields of study using various languages including Portuguese, Russian, Finnish and English. This invites a study to discuss the main ideas of the model in Malay literature using the Malay language. This article outlines two objectives. First, to relate the main ideas in the model of Moderate Propositional Theory of Literary Truth with Malay literary works. Second, to sum up the main ideas of Moderate Propositional Theory of Literary Truth by Jukka Mikkonen. The results of the analysis found that Moderate Propositional Theory of Literary Truth presents three ways for philosophy to be conveyed through fiction, which are literary assertions, literary suggestions and literary hypotheses. An analysis of the relationship between the literary assertions and “Pujangga Melayu” by Mohd. Affandi Hassan, literary suggestions and “Salina” by A. Samad Said, and literary hypotheses and “Di Negeri Belalang” by Anwar Ridhwan found that the three ways of conveying philosophy offer different features and aspects in shaping what is called “philosophical fiction”.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"379 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87689861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Isu-Isu Kemiskinan dalam Kalangan Masyarakat Melayu Kedah pada Suku Pertama Abad ke-20","authors":"Nur Najwa Yusof, Ahmad Kamal Ariffin Mohd Rus, Noor Ain Mat Noor","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.13","url":null,"abstract":"This study emphasises the development of the socio-economy of the Malay community in Kedah. The issues focused on are related to the debt and poverty which had been the dilemma and shackled the Malay community, specifically the farmers. This research will unfold the factors that had led the farmers to like being indebted. This practice was seen to be the norm to the everyday life in handling hardship. In addition, the practice of indebtedness too had led the farmers to fall into the scourge of poverty. This research fully uses historical documents and materials which include books, articles, files from the state secretary, CO 273 Straits Settlements, Original Correspondence, 1838–1922 and CO 716, Kedah/ Perlis Sessional Papers, 1905–1937. It was found that for the first quarter of the 20th century, the Malays in Kedah specifically the farmers suffered from financial difficulties. They were not only faced with poverty but also oppression from the middlemen and mounting debts. Many of these farmers at that time had to borrow from the loan sharks who were seen as the main source of income to settle all their bad debts. This research provides understanding about poverty, oppression and middleman issues.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88484666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Malaysia’s National Role Conceptions and Transitions of Foreign Policy From Tunku to Mahathir","authors":"J. Saravanamuttu, E. Mark, Nawaljeet Singh Rayar","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.2","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewing the history and trajectory of Malaysia’s foreign policy, this article highlights national role conceptions (NRCs) during Tunku’s premiership between 1957 and 1968 and the first and second Mahathir tenures of 1981–2003 and 2018–2020, respectively. Malaysia’s foreign policy and its fundamentals have remained reasonably stable over prolonged periods but NRCs, which define foreign policy, have witnessed shifting nuances and noticeable changes under different premierships. Foreign policy under succeeding Malaysian governments has seen major shifts occurring in the transition of foreign policy in tandem with changing NRCs. Malaysian foreign policy is articulated within the constraints posed by the global and regional environments and that of a highly politicised, often divided domestic landscape. In the Tunku era, Malaysia was decidedly a Western ally, symbolised by NRCs of being “pro-West” and “anti-communist”. Since then, Malaysia’s relations with major powers and regional countries have shown a stable, neutral and non-aligned stance and it emerged as a “regional neutral strategist” under the premiership of Tun Abdul Razak. This article argues that the shifts and revisions in Malaysia’s NRCs under Mahathir as a “global champion of the South”, exemplar of “Looking East” and “champion of moderate Islam” were not all just outcomes of elite preferences but reflected political agendas of elites and political agents within the domestic political game. Drawing on some examples of domestic contestations over NRCs and foreign policy, the article points to the re-definition and even the abandonment of policy directions which were not consonant with the imperatives of the domestic political game.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90581111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Code-Switching in Malaysian Stand-Up Comedy Performances: A Case Study of Comedian Harith Iskander","authors":"Maiyamin Md Nor, Shangeetha R. K.","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.6","url":null,"abstract":"Usage of code-switching in the scene of stand-up comedy is one of many creative strategies for comedians to deliver jokes and connect with a multilingual audience. However, not many employ this strategy, especially in Malaysia. Malaysian standup comedians rarely use code-switching in the delivery of their jokes as many use the local variety of English in achieving humour. Code-switching enables comedians to reach out to their audience and ensures their jokes are delivered more effectively and appreciated by the audience. Centring upon the use of codeswitching from English to Malay in two stand-up comedy performances by a wellknown Malaysian artist, Harith Iskander, this article delves into the frequently used forms and functions of code-switching found in the performances. Shana Poplack’s categorisation of code-switching and Hoffman’s functions of codeswitching frame the basis of this descriptive analysis. Both frameworks are used to determine the types of code-switching used and its functions. The findings show that intrasentential code-switching is the most used in one performance while tag switching is used most frequently in the other performances. The discrepancy of outcomes between the two performances is a result of language accommodation by the comedian for the target audience; the first performance is targeted to a Malay audience while the second has a more diverse audience. In terms of functions of code-switching in both performances, they differ only in frequencies; where code- switching is mostly used to talk about a particular topic and express group identity in the first performance while in the second, it mainly functions as interjection. The overall results show that the target audience influences the way code-switching is used by stand-up comedians in order to engage with them. The findings indicate that code-switching becomes less prominent when the audience is more diverse. This implies that the type of audience influences the extent and limits on code switching in stand-up comedy. This research can benefit stand-up comedians regarding the incorporation of code-switching in delivering jokes.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79180847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rationalising the Business Structure of Contemporary Buddhist Organisations in Malaysia: A Case Study of Five Buddhist Charities","authors":"Yok Fee Lee, Kok On Low","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.8","url":null,"abstract":"Many contemporary Buddhist organisations have registered in Malaysia since the early 21st century. This article aims to analyse the issues of rationalisation in terms of the structure of organisational and the business concepts of five contemporary Buddhist organisations. In-depth interview, telephone interview, and observation were the methods used to gather qualitative data from the informants and the websites of the selected organisations. Weber’s concepts of rationalisation were employed to analyse data collected from the field as well as the secondary data. In terms of the organisational structure, our analysis revealed that two out of five selected Buddhist organisations, namely Kechara and Tzu Chi, are highly structured and formalised. In addition, their bureaucracy is in line with Weber’s rationalisation model that emphasised calculability, predictability, control, and capitalism. In terms of business, two out of five selected Buddhist organisations, namely the Buddha’s Light International Association and the Nalanda Buddhist Society do not participate in business. In other words, these two organisations showed that the Buddhist’s norm and values do not rationalise the believers into accumulating wealth as their goal and then creating the spirit of capitalism. However, the Kechara, Tzu Chi, and Buddhist Business Network do actively participate in business activities to generate their own income. The elements of calculability, predictability, control, and capitalism are significant in all the three organisations’ business involvement too. Overall, this study has indirectly highlighted the similarities and differences of the five selected contemporary Buddhist organisations in Malaysia with respect to their structure of organisation and business involvement based on Weber’s concepts of rationalisation.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80612928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Malaysian Muslimah Activists’ Modes of Thought: Rereading Islamic and Alternative Sources of Knowledge","authors":"Syed Imad Alatas","doi":"10.21315/km2023.41.1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21315/km2023.41.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"This article focuses on the modes of thought of female Muslim (Muslimah) activists in Malaysia towards Islamic and alternative sources of knowledge and how these modes of thought inform their understanding of gender justice for the Muslimah. The Islamic sources of knowledge can be divided into the Quran and the Hadith (recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad). Western feminism, on the other hand, can be deemed an alternative source of knowledge as it approaches gender issues from a non-religious point of view and typically does not refer to religious texts when discussing gender justice. When the activists refer to the Quran and Hadith as their main sources of women’s issues, they acknowledge the importance of contextualising them to modern society. Next, they show an appreciation of alternative sources of knowledge such as Western feminism when talking about women’s issues in Islam. While being critical, they are generally not antagonistic towards Western feminism. Nevertheless, there are activists who cannot reconcile between Islamic and Western feminist discourses on women’s issues. Data for this article was gathered from in-depth interviews with seven Muslimah activists from six NGOs. Utilising Manheim’s sociology of knowledge framework, this article elaborates on how the modes of thought of the activists generally resemble one that is neo-modernist.","PeriodicalId":43145,"journal":{"name":"Kajian Malaysia","volume":"259 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136045057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}