BRITISH WRITERS AND THE MALAYS: TWO SIDES TO A COIN PERBEZAAN PERSPEKTIF PENULIS BRITSH DAN ORANG MELAYU

Abstract

Abstract
The Tanah Melayu, or land of the Malays, was one of the colonies conquered by the British as early as the 17th century. The historical impact of colonialism on the social, economic and cultural experiences of the native Malays has been welldocumented. This paper attempts to explore several ideas of organic intellectuals and the subjugation of the Malays from the perspective of the colonialists. For this study, various literary works penned by British scholars and commoners were analysed. These works were then divided into a few sub-themes encompassing the sociological aspects of the Malays. The findings were empirically inaccurate due to the lack of suitable approaches to fortify analyses of the Malays. In some cases, the scholars’ opinions are almost intangible and amateurish, which could cause confusion and prejudice. The British writers were also found to have produced literary works about the Malays based on what they had seen in specific locations, which may not have shown the full perspective of the ethnic group. The writers also might have ignored certain ethical points during writing. The study also unmasked the motives and British discourse on the Malays. This can provide a better understanding of European intellect toward the integrity of the Malays.
Keywords: British, British writers, Malays, images, colonials.

Abstrak
Tanah Melayu merupakan salah satu dari tanah jajahan British sejak awal abad ke-17. Sejarah serta kesan penjajahan sama ada dalam bentuk pengalaman sosial, ekonomi dan budaya penduduk asal Melayu didokumentasikan dengan baik dalam karya bertulis. Makalah ini membincangkan berkaitan beberapa idea golongan intelektual organik Melayu daripada perspektif penjajah. Beberapa karya sastera yang ditulis oleh sarjana British dan rakyat biasa juga dianalisis dalam kajian ini. Karya-karya tersebut dibahagikan kepada beberapa subtema yang merangkumi aspek sosiologi Melayu. Secara empirikal, penemuan kajian kurang tepat disebabkan kekurangan pendekatan terhadap bahan yang amat diperlukan bagi menguatkan analisis subjek, iaitu orang Melayu. Dalam sesetengah kes, pendapat itu hampir tidak ketara serta banyak mengelirukan dan menimbulkan prejudis. Penulis British menulis berdasarkan sesuatu yang mereka lihat di kawasan tertentu dan tidak mewakili keseluruhan penduduk. Beberapa prinsip moral yang mengawal tingkah laku etika dalam penulisan mungkin diabaikan. Selain itu, makalah ini juga menyingkap motif dan asas wacana British tentang orang Melayu yang boleh memberi pemahaman yang lebih baik tentang tindak balas intelektual Eropah terhadap kewibawaan orang Melayu.
Kata Kunci: British, penulis British, orang Melayu, imej, kolonial.