Winstedt, colonialism and the Malaysian history wars

Abstract

European colonialist thinking continues to influence history writing after national independence–even in the construction of national narratives. In the case of Malaysia, the work of the scholar-official, Richard Winstedt, has had a far-reaching impact–and one that is seldom recognised. The 20th century was a crucial period in the political and historical construction of ‘Malay(si)a’–a time when a colonial state was imagined, and then positioned as a foundation for post-colonial nation-building. Malay(si)a did not exist as a political entity before this time–it had to be carved out of the Indian (or ‘Malay’) Archipelago, an enormous region largely under Dutch authority. The historical constr..