One Malay Village

One Malay Village Synopsis

In a society recognised for its multi-racial constitution, the relative homogeneity of Kelantan has inspired numerous researchers to seek the 'essence' of 'Malay-ness' in the traditional ethnic events and distinctive form of Islam practised there. Drawing on the research conducted during more than ten site visits to the Kelantan community over a 30-year period, One Malay Village is a comparison of Tsubouchi's initial and final surveys.

Through the juxtaposition of two 'snapshots' taken twenty years apart, he reveals a process of change occurring in the community which even the locals are at risk of overlooking. The rapid changes experienced by this Malay community expose the limitations of analytic frameworks such as urban-rural community, modernisation, and urbanisation. In fact, these changes are of such a magnitude as to challenge the classification of Malaysia as a 'developing' nation.