A Comparative Study Of The Chinese And English Streams Of Southeast Asia Studies In Malaysia And Singapore (1800-1965)

Since ancient times, the Malay Peninsula had been an important route between the east and the west and a concourse of cultures from both sides of the world. Abundant relics had therefore been left behind, including written works in different languages such as Portuguese, Dutch, English, Chinese, Malay etc. Such works comprise archives, itineraries, essays, periodicals, newspapers and monographs. The authors include missionaries, colonial officers, explorers, writers, cultural and educational scholars etc. These works in different languages by authors in different capacities had become an integral part of Southeast Asia Studies in Malaysia and Singapore.This article aims at tracing the academic developments of Southeast Asia Studiesin both the Chinese and English streams in Malaysia and Singapore prior to 1965 andthereafter comparing them to reveal their differences, similarities as well asinteractions. For works in the English stream, this article divides the developmentsinto three periods. The first is the Observer Dominated Period from 1800 to 1876.Works in this period consisted of initial explorations and observations based mainlyon personal views and records or some kind of understanding provided to the Britishofficers for purposes of executing their colonial rule or trade. The second period is theColonial Scholar-Administrator Dominated Period from 1877 to 1941. This was theperiod when the colonial officers conducted research works during their free time inorder to serve specific needs in their work or out of their personal interests. Theyformed relevant societies for mutual encouragement and as platforms for publishingtheir works. The trend had thus shifted from documentary records in the first period tothe research phase. The third period is the Professional Academician DominatedPeriod from 1946 to 1960. During this period, the discourse power of research shiftedfrom the colonial officers to the professional academicians. More importantly, it was atime when the academicians began to break away from the colonial narratives topursue their own indigenous studies.Works in the Chinese stream can also be seen as having gone through three periods. The first is the Initial Period from 1930 to 1941. During this period, Chinese scholars and journalists who had settled down here began to promote South Sea Studies through the newspapers. This was the beginning of academic research works on Southeast Asia Studies using the Chinese language. Subsequently there was the Japanese occupation which lasted for three years and eight months, during which academic works had all come to a standstill. The second period of development is the Founding Period from 1945 to 1955. By this time, the scholars from China continued their efforts in the first period and gradually they formed a strong force in South Sea Studies. The third period is the Peak Period from 1956 to 1969. This period saw the formation of the Faculty of History in Nanyang University which led to the establishment of South Sea Studies as a specialized field of academic work and the training of academic researchers through the university. The research traditions in these three periods are collectively referred to as the "Academic Traditions of South Sea Studies".The two academic streams of Southeast Asia Studies mentioned above appeared to be very different and did not have much interaction. However, there are still some similarities that could be discerned between them. For both of them, the backgrounds of their scholars and the motives of research had moved from part-time studies to professional academic research, from foreign scholars to local academicians and from instrumental rationality to academic orientation. Both had focused on Malaya as their subject of study. In terms of research methodology, the English stream started with the linguistic approach while the Chinese stream focused on studies of traditional documents. After World War II, scholars in the Chinese stream began to receive training on Western scientific studies and gradually both streams showed more similarities in research methodology. It could be said that both streams had constructed their own academic research traditions. The most obvious difference between them is reflected in their research contents. While the Chinese stream focused on studies of overseas Chinese and ancient topology, the English stream had concentrated on Malay studies. Scholars in the Chinese stream were able to have access to works in the English language through translations, citations and references. However, very few scholars in the English stream have so far made reference to works written in the Chinese language.