Malay Society in the Late Nineteenth Century

Social change among the Malay communities of the Peninsular States slowly gathered momentum towards the end of the 19th century. This study of Malay social history examines the process of change, and explores the position of the rulers and aristocracy, as opposed to the situation of the peasants.

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Social change among the Malay communities of the Peninsular States slowly gathered momentum towards the end of the 19th century. It was more than a reaction to the imposition of colonial rule, which began in 1874 and was not completed until 1914. From the middle of the century a variety of alien and external socio-economic factors began to affect Malay society everywhere, even in those states which at the time still retained their independence. This process of change is the main theme of the book, as a study in Malay social history. It is concerned with the positon of the rulers and of the aristocratic class, and the situation of the peasant class. The author selects and pieces together much contemporary evidence, found both in the extant official records and in the personal reminiscences of individuals, Malays as well as Europeans, who lived in or visited the Malay States, to present a picture of a society finding stability in its Islamic faith and its traditions, yet adapting to a different world. The author was a member of the Malayan Civil Service between 1945 and 1957 and is also the author of "Indigenous Political Systems of Western Malaya".