Wak Ketok and the Quest for Malay Identity in 1930s Malaya

Rosman, Razan; Abdullah, Sarena

doi:10.1353/ras.2018.0016

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Then, caricature as a tool for critique also portrays a micro-level interaction, especially pertaining to intra-ethnic contestation in which it acts as a medium for the formation of identity of that particular group (see Johnson [2006]). Through the Wak Ketok character, the Malay cosmopolites were portrayed as not having any (or small) affiliation towards 'authentic' Malay cultural tradition-whether through their lifestyle, clothing, or attitude and can be considered as having accustomed to the modern lifestyle influenced by foreign tradition (Razan Rosman & Sarena Abdullah, 2018). Figure 9 below is one of the examples of Wak Ketok's critique on Malay cosmopolites' excessive entertainment and extravagance lifestyle, negative qualities associated with Malay cosmopolites that persisted in each of its critique on the group.…”

Section: Critique On Cosmopolitan Malays In Caricaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Portrayals of urban or cosmopolitan Malays in the series highlighted the 'un-rootedness' qualities signified by their appearances, attitudes, and lifestyle. The double consciousness, the many affiliations, shown by this group was considered as a barrier in the project to build a single and unified Malay identity, which hindered Malay solidarity (Razan Rosman & Sarena Abdullah, 2018).…”

Section: Critique On Cosmopolitan Malays In Caricaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our observation on Wak Ketok column in Utusan Zaman-specifically his critiques on the so-called urban Malays-finds that these Malay cosmopolites were portrayed as having different attitude and outlook as compared to their rural counterpart; amongst others, the prioritisation of individual gain and hedonistic lifestyle (Razan Rosman & Sarena Abdullah, 2018). Malay newspapers at the time gained considerable influence amongst the people due to their prominent role as the sole medium for disseminating information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Cosmopolitan Malay Through Visual Imageries In 1930s Malay Newspapers

Rosman

Abdullah

2018

JATI

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

By 1930s, Malays specifically the city dwellers have already grown accustomed to the modern lifestyle, espoused by their cosmopolitan appearance and outlook. The period portrays an increase of leisure and recreational activities particularly in the consumption of goods, services, and popular entertainment-reflected in the abundance of advertisements on this type of products and activities in Malay newspapers. By late 1930s, advertisements mostly published in the form of visual imageries. Analysis on these imageries can provide insights on the presence of a certain form of cosmopolitanism embodied by this group of urban Malays. This exploratory paper inspects the portrayal of cosmopolitan Malays through visual advertisements in Warta Ahad in the second half of 1930s . Archived materials mentioned in the paper were gathered from Perpustakaan Tun Sri Lanang, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). The conception of Malay cosmopolites, as this paper will argue, is a construct by advertisers and Malay intelligentsias alike, albeit with different intentions. Imageries under discussion suggest an alternative representation of Malays, the urbanites, who have attained a degree of cosmopolitan outlook through continuous exposures to what was deemed as a modern lifestyle.

show abstract

Section: Critique On Cosmopolitan Malays In Caricaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Critique On Cosmopolitan Malays In Caricaturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Cosmopolitan Malay Through Visual Imageries In 1930s Malay Newspapers

Rosman

Abdullah

2018

JATI

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A recent discussion by Ahmad Murad Merican (2020) and Razan Rosman and Sarena Abdullah (2018) on identity using Wak Ketok caricatures is enlightening. Ahmad Murad…”

Section: Sendamentioning

confidence: 99%

Contesting power in post-mahathir Malaysia : a case study of Malay professional satirists

Shaharuddin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines the political contestation among Malay Professional Satirists (MPS) through their selected political satire works between 2011-2018. Political satire challenges those in power and is often regarded as fake news and libel. Therefore, political satirists tend to be frequently subject to legal action and are accused of disrupting national harmony. However, there is another group within the social and cultural community, which I call Social and Cultural Professionals (SCP), who also use satire but are supported by the government. This group frequently received financial benefits from the state and are at lower risk of suffering legal consequences. These contrasting conditions raise several important questions: who are the Malaysian Professional Satirists? Who are the targets of MPS in their satirical work? Why do MPS satirise them? And why do the MPS still produce political satire despite the potential legal consequences? Therefore, this study attempts to identify the characters, themes, and issues the MPS highlight; it also considers the reasons and motivations that political satirists have for creating such allegedly controversial works. Malaysia’s Reformasi movement and the booming use of the internet in 1998 mobilised multiple alternative social movements, mainly through art-related activities. Art workers, NGOs, as well as musical and cultural groups, protested creatively against the UMNO-BN ruling regime. Creative protests that employed satire and humour somehow succeeded in attracting a significant proportion of the public to follow political and current issues, especially youths in universities who had been depoliticised with the inception of the University and University College Act (AUKU 1979). This study establishes a point of view that political satire is a fun, loose, free form of resistance, contrasting with formal procedural democracy. The previous literature proposes that the study of Malaysia’s political system should focus on formal political procedures, especially election and representation. However, the study of political satire vis-à-vis democratisation is often neglected and thus such studies are scarce, which might have resulted from how satire is strictly discussed in terms of language and media. There has been a growing interest in how satirist and satirical works are regarded; hence, this study attempts to fill a gap in research on political satire in Malaysia. In contrast, democratisation is often discussed in terms of history, politics, anthropology, sociology, and economics. This qualitative study presents a comprehensive account of interviews with four (4) art workers identified as MPS, as based on appropriate criteria. Each informant had either partaken in alternative social movements or faced legal action from authorities or, indeed, both. In this study, the Theory of Contestation and Two-Social Reality serves as a primary framework to lead to an understanding of the contestation of power in Malaysia through political satire. This study further intends to broaden the knowledge of political satire and humour in the study of democratisation, adding to the existing literature, particularly outside formal political procedures.

show abstract

Wak Ketok and the Quest for Malay Identity in 1930s Malaya

Cited by 2 publications

References 10 publications

Cosmopolitan Malay Through Visual Imageries In 1930s Malay Newspapers

Cosmopolitan Malay Through Visual Imageries In 1930s Malay Newspapers

Contesting power in post-mahathir Malaysia : a case study of Malay professional satirists

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About