Books by Anthony Milner
Robert Aldrich and Cindy McCreery (eds),Monarchies and Decolonisation in Asia (Manchester Uni Press, 2020
Modern Malaysia is characterised by its elaborate monarchy, as well as by its sharply plural soci... more Modern Malaysia is characterised by its elaborate monarchy, as well as by its sharply plural society-a Muslim-Malay majority, but with very large Chinese and Indian minority communities. There is not just one royal ruler: apart from the country's King (or Yang di-Pertuan Agong), nine of the states in the federation (which consists of thirteen states and three federal territories) have Rulers (seven with the title 'Sultan'). Every five years, the Rulers choose one among them to be King. The country, not surprisingly, has many royal family members with the titles 'Tengku' and 'Raja'; and many royal subjects from every ethnic group are awarded royal titles-such as 'Datuk', 'Datuk Seri', 'Tan Sri' and 'Tun'. Royal ceremonies, especially royal birthdays, are glittering affairs, with crowds of participants-often dressed in sumptuous songket (brocade fabric), and seated largely according to rankwitnessing royal speeches and the bestowal of royal titles. Malaysia is not the only Asian country where monarchy has survived, but it is unique in being a multi-monarchy state. It is also true that things might have turned out differently-as they did in Burma, Indonesia, India and many other countries. This chapter argues that the tenacity of monarchy in Malaysia was due not only to the particular colonial experience but also to specific qualities in the institution itself, and in the practice of Malay diplomacy. Before the British and Dutch established their authority across the Malay Archipelago, mainly in the nineteenth century, there were numerous monarchies-often called 'kerajaan'-not only on the Peninsula but also on Sumatra, Borneo and other islands. Many had populations of only thousands or tens of thousands, and they tended to rely on trade. They had converted to Islam one after another, commencing in the thirteenth century, and were defined by the personal relation between ruler and subject, rather than by territorial boundaries. Today, the Peninsular monarchies tend to be referred to as 'Malay Sultanates',
Rajah Rasiah, Axirah Hashim and Jatswan S.Sidhu (eds) Contesting Malaysia's Integration into the World Economy (Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), 2021
For a superb study in another field, which examines an investigator in the context of the scholar... more For a superb study in another field, which examines an investigator in the context of the scholarly discourse and debates of his time, see Hill, 2003. 4 Raffles, 1991: 235. The volume includes a report from Edward Presgrave concerning Pasumah in Sumatra. Praising their hospitality to strangers, he notes a similarity with "the Scottish Highlander" and quotes a poem from Sir Walter Scott; 334.
The Journal of Asian Studies, 1998
A pioneering, provocative study of Malay political thought on the eve of colonial rule -- based o... more A pioneering, provocative study of Malay political thought on the eve of colonial rule -- based on both Malay and European source materials, and addressing issues that continue to be critical in Malaysia today. Focusing on both the Malay penisula and North Sumatra, it includes essays by Shamsul A. B., Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied and Tony Day.
(Editor with D. Gerstle), Recovering the Orient; Artists, Scholars, Appropriations, (London: Harwood Press, 1994) ix+362. (with chapters by Clifford Geertz, Masao Miyoshi, Tony Day, John Hay, Anthony Forge, Anthony Tatlow, Roy Howat, Peter Kornicki and David Bromfield)
(Cambridge, New York and Melbourne; Cambridge University Press: Revised edition paperback, 2002) viii + 328.
... real world: expanding vocabularies, 4. Conceptualizing a Bangsa community: a newspaper of mod... more ... real world: expanding vocabularies, 4. Conceptualizing a Bangsa community: a newspaper of moderate opinions, 5. Building a bourgeois public sphere, 6. Ideological challenge on a second front: The Kerajaan in contest with Islam, 7. Answering liberalism: Islamic first moves, 8 ...
Monographs by Anthony Milner
Centre of Gravity Series, 2017
Melbourne: Asialink Commission, 2012, 1-44 (co-editor)
This publication is based on the second public lecture which I presented on 3 December 2015 as Tu... more This publication is based on the second public lecture which I presented on 3 December 2015 as Tun Hussein Onn Chair in International Studies at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. Again I wish to express gratitude to the Noah Foundation and ISIS Malaysia. In particular I would like to thank Datin Paduka Dr Faridah Abdullah, Chair of the Noah Foundation, and Mr Mohammed Rhiza Dato’ Ghazi, representative of the late Tun Hussein Onn’s family. Mr Mohammed Rhiza’s introductory comments before the lecture added greatly to the occasion. I am most grateful to Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, Chairman and Chief Executive of ISIS Malaysia, and former ISIS Chairman Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan, and would like also to say how much I have appreciated the opportunity to work in this lively institution with so many stimulating and generous staff.
It was a privilege to be chosen as the second holder of the Tun Hussein Onn Chair in Internation... more It was a privilege to be chosen as the second holder of the Tun Hussein Onn Chair in International Studies. I am grateful to the Noah Foundation, which supports this position, and to the host organisation, ISIS Malaysia. I would like to thank especially the Foundation’s Chair, Datin Paduka Dr Faridah Dato’ Abdullah. I have been familiar for a number of years with ISIS Malaysia and my impression has long been that it is a ne organisation, playing a vital role for Malaysia and for the ASEAN countries more generally. I am particularly indebted to the former Chairman and Chief Executive, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan, the current Chairman and Chief Executive, Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, and their excellent research and administrative colleagues, for their kind hospitality and for making ISIS Malaysia an excellent institution in which to work.
I would also like to record how honoured I feel that the Tun Hussein Onn Lecture was given in the presence of HRH Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-lah, also Royal Fellow of ISIS Malaysia and Chancellor of the University of Malaya. It was in addition a great privilege to have the involvement of Puan Sri Datuk Dr Suraiya Hani Tun Hussein, representing the family of the late Tun Hussein Onn.
What K.J.Ratnam once called the 'communal framework' -with its strong racial or ethnic basehas be... more What K.J.Ratnam once called the 'communal framework' -with its strong racial or ethnic basehas been dominant in virtually every aspect of Malaysian life over many decades. It is not, however, the only paradigm that has been proposed for Malaysia -or Malaya, or the 'Malay World'. Nor is it simply the product of demographic fact. The structure and the dominance of this paradigm is in part a product of ideological engineering. This lecture will reflect on the origins and development of the dominant paradigm -taking note of the way it gained influence, and also the competition it faced. Surveying the history of the Malaysian paradigm can help us not only to appreciate its strength -its capacity to resist transformative change -but also to identify where alternative concepts, discarded in their time, may prove influential in the future. There are good reasons why Malaysia is structured the way it is today -but on close examination neither this nor any other specific national formation can be judged inevitable. The historian who examines the 'history of ideas' in nation making therefore has an opportunity to engage in conversations about the future as well as the past.
Articles by Anthony Milner
Asian Survey, 2018
The Najib government continued to consolidate its political hold on Malaysia in 2017. Various fac... more The Najib government continued to consolidate its political hold on Malaysia in 2017. Various factors, including a moderately improved economic situation and a relatively generous 2018 budget, suggested that it had good prospects for winning the next election, to be held at the latest in August 2018. Beyond party politics, however, there were indications of deep change taking place in Malaysian society—deep enough to raise questions about the nation’s identity
Uploads
Books by Anthony Milner
Monographs by Anthony Milner
I would also like to record how honoured I feel that the Tun Hussein Onn Lecture was given in the presence of HRH Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-lah, also Royal Fellow of ISIS Malaysia and Chancellor of the University of Malaya. It was in addition a great privilege to have the involvement of Puan Sri Datuk Dr Suraiya Hani Tun Hussein, representing the family of the late Tun Hussein Onn.
Articles by Anthony Milner
I would also like to record how honoured I feel that the Tun Hussein Onn Lecture was given in the presence of HRH Sultan Perak Darul Ridzuan, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-lah, also Royal Fellow of ISIS Malaysia and Chancellor of the University of Malaya. It was in addition a great privilege to have the involvement of Puan Sri Datuk Dr Suraiya Hani Tun Hussein, representing the family of the late Tun Hussein Onn.