Beyond Bicentennial

The year 2019 marks Singapore's Bicentennial milestone since the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles in Singapore in 1819. It was in anticipation of the arrival of the Bicentennial that this book, Beyond Bicentennial: Perspectives on Malays, was initiated. This book is a collection of articles from prominent individuals and academicians that touch not only on the 200 years since the arrival of Raffles, but goes back much earlier, 720 years earlier, when Sang Nila Utama first set foot on the island in 1299.This book hopes to heighten the readers' sense of history and to reflect upon how Singapore has journeyed over the last two centuries, witnessing the perseverance, trials, challenges, and efforts of Singaporeans, and to see how the nation has gone through a transformation from a feudal setting to a cosmopolitan and multi-racial society.Prior to this book, Majulah! 50 Years of Malay/Muslim Community in Singapore was published in 2016 when Singapore celebrated SG50 — an initiative launched to celebrate the nation's 50 years of independence. The book highlighted the progress, the contributions, and the challenges of the community for the past 50 years since Singapore's independence in 1965.Both books can be read hand-in-hand. While Majulah! 50 Years of Malay/Muslim Community in Singapore called on the community to reflect on the past and to look ahead, this book, Beyond Bicentennial: Perspectives on Malays, calls on readers to reflect and re-examine the position and contributions of the Malays to Singapore's history and its development, as Singapore commemorates its Bicentennial.Related Link(s)Contents: Identity Formation: Colonialism and Studying the Malays (Norshahril Saat) Reframing the Malay Past in Singapore's History (Sher Banu A L Khan) The Everyday World as a Museum Collection: Looking into Singapore Malay History (Iskander Mydin) Malays in Singapore — From Srivijaya to Raffles (John N Miksic) Quote (Mohamad Maliki Osman) The Orang Laut (Sarafian Salleh) Singapore Historiography and Its Place Names in Malay Sources Before and After 1819 (Imran Tajudeen) Locating 'Malay Places' and Ethnic Identity Making in Singapore (Hamzah Muzaini) Setting the Scene: Singapore as a Port and a Centre for the Hajj (Anthony Green and Mohd Raman Daud) Origins of Ordinance No. XIII of 1904 to Make Provision for the Family of the Late Sultan Hussein (Kwa Chong Guan) Between Hopes and Reality: The Development of the Malay Language and its Community of Speakers in Singapore (Mukhlis Abu Bakar) Nature and Self in the Works of Munshi Abdullah (Hadijah Rahmat) Sang Nila Utama, Badang and Singapura Dilanggar Todak: Relevance and Importance of Malay Traditional Narrative History (Noridah Kamari) More than a Blade — The Keris as a Marker of Identity and Difference in Post-colonial Singapore (Farish A Noor) Keris Symbolism (Rhaimie Wahap) Early Malay Newspapers and Journalism (Mazelan Anuar) Pioneer Malay Printers (Mazelan Anuar) Inter-Cultural Encounters with Malay Food: Ethnicity, Hybridity, Cosmopolitanism (Noorman Abdullah) 'More Malay than Pakistani' — Insights into Acculturation to Malay Society in Singapore (Abbas Khan) Identity Consolidation: Islamism in Singapore? (Mohamed Nawab) What does it Mean to be Malay? Voices of Youth from the Community (Mohamad Shamsuri Juhari) Thriving from the Margins: The Viability of Traditional Malay Medical Practices in Singapore (Humairah Zainal) The Introduction and Development of Football in the Malay/Muslim Community in Singapore, 1819–1941 (Lim Peng Han) Institution: The Institutionalisation of Islam in Singapore: The Administration of Muslim Law Act and the Birth of a 'Majlis Ugama' (Alfian Yasrif Kuchit) From Charity and Gotong-Royong to Partners in Social Change — The Evolution of Social Services in the Malay-Muslim Community (Sharifah Mariam Aljunied) The Development of the Malay Schools and the Education of the Malays from Colonial Times to Post-Independent Era — 1819–1989 (Wan Hussin Zoohri) Yayasan...