Foreword

Summary

This book presents — for the first time in a single volume — fascinating historical and ethnographic details of five hybrid ethnic minorities in Peninsula Malaysia. They comprise Penang's Indian Muslims, Malacca's Chitties and Portuguese Eurasians, Trengganu's Peranakan Chinese, and the Baweanese, who are of Indonesian origin. The Baweanese chapter, in particular, stands out as a significant contribution to the literature on Peranakan–types in the Malay world.

Combining the acuity of a scholar with the skills of a journalist, Patrick Pillai leads us on an intriguing journey, tracing how migration histories, occupations and residential locations facilitated interaction and acculturation.

His aim is to highlight Malaysia's rich diversity, and to discover how the experiences of these Peranakan–type communities can provide useful lessons in cultural intermingling, sharing and ethnic harmony. He finds that working, living and schooling together are essential prerequisites, as is proficiency in Malay, which bridges and bonds diverse ethnic groups.

However his fieldwork indicates that acculturation is a necessary but insufficient prerequisite to fostering inter–ethnic harmony; a sense of belonging is equally vital. Such inclusiveness, he argues, is best achieved through multi–ethnic politics and policies consonant with affirmative action. He concludes with a plea for inter–cultural dialogue to cultivate greater understanding, empathy and trust between diverse ethnic and religious groups.

Written with sensitivity and insight towards both minorities and the larger communities, this book is an outstanding contribution to interethnic understanding, to ethnic studies in general, and minority studies in particular. For Malaysian Studies enthusiasts this is a must read.