"Ho Ying Chan provides an expert analysis of Malaysia–Indonesia relations. He demystifies the concept of a 'special relationship', rescuing it from woolly, sentimental rhetoric that often emanates from political figures and popular commentators. His well-informed study shows how a state’s will to survive in the amoral world of international relations drives its conduct even in circumstances of common identities and common strategic interests with other states. He evaluates comparative evidence to shed light on how a special relationship leads to the emergence of a pluralistic security community. This is a conclusion of insight and value, not only to the field of Southeast Asian Studies, but also to the wider community of International Relations scholars." — Professor Clinton Fernandes, University of New South Wales, Australia "Empirically rich and theoretically interesting, this book offers an illuminating account of how material and ideational dynamics shape the evolution of Malaysia–Indonesia relations. Focusing on what is arguably the most vital bilateral relationship in Southeast Asia, it addresses the circumstances, conditions and constraints that determine the double-edged effects of the culturally bound 'special relationship'. Ho Ying Chan argues that while their shared serumpun identities and strategic interests do give rise to a considerable closeness between Malaysia and Indonesia, the politics of power (im)balance have prevented the transformation of the special relationship into a 'pluralistic security community', as their egoistic understanding averts the formation of collective self. The book generates useful insights on the interplay of cross-border cultural affinity and political necessity, inviting readers to ponder the politics of identity and survivability at the international level. It is a welcome addition to the growing literature of Southeast Asian international relations." — Dr Kuik Cheng-Chwee, National University of Malaysia (UKM) "Ho Ying Chan’s important study brings home the international and theoretical significance of the interaction between Malaysia and Indonesia, the two major states of Muslim Southeast Asia — products of the territorial division between the British and Dutch colonial empires. This welcome and revealing review of the Malaysia–Indonesia story deepens our understanding of the concept of a 'special relationship' — explaining both the cooperative and competitive dynamics that can be present, and the way such relationships are influenced by state identities and power imbalances." — Anthony Milner, University of Malaya; University of Melbourne

Ho Ying Chan provides an expert analysis of Malaysia-Indonesia relations. He demystifies the concept of a "special relationship," rescuing it from woolly, sentimental rhetoric that often emanates from political figures and popular commentators. His well-informed study shows how a state's will to survive in the amoral world of international relations drives its conduct even in circumstances of common identities and common strategic interests with other states. He evaluates comparative evidence to shed light on how a special relationship leads to the emergence of a pluralistic security community. This is a conclusion of insight and value, not only to the field of Southeast Asian Studies, but also to the wider community of International Relations scholars. Professor Clinton Fernandes University of New South Wales Australia Empirically rich and theoretically interesting, this book offers an illuminating account of how material and ideational dynamics shape the evolution of Malaysia-Indonesia relations. Focusing on what is arguably the most vital bilateral relationship in Southeast Asia, it addresses the circumstances, conditions and constraints that determine the double-edged effects of the culturally bound "special relationship." Ho Ying Chan argues that while their shared serumpun identities and strategic interests do give rise to a considerable closeness between Malaysia and Indonesia, the politics of power (im)balance have prevented the transformation of the special relationship into a "pluralistic security community," as their egoistic understanding averts the formation of collective self. The book generates useful insights on the interplay of cross-border cultural affinity and political necessity, inviting readers to ponder the politics of identity and survivability at the international level. It is a welcome addition to the growing literature of Southeast Asian international relations. Dr Kuik Cheng-Chwee National University of Malaysia (UKM) Ho Ying Chan's important study brings home the international and theoretical significance of the interaction between Malaysia and Indonesia, the two major states of Muslim Southeast Asia -- products of the territorial division between the British and Dutch colonial empires. This welcome and revealing review of the Malaysia-Indonesia story deepens our understanding of the concept of a "special relationship" -- explaining both the cooperative and competitive dynamics that can be present, and the way such relationships are influenced by state identities and power imbalances. Anthony Milner University of Malaya; University of Melbourne.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia, focusing especially on how the relationship has developed in the last fifty years. It argues that the political relationship between the two countries has been largely defined by rivalry, despite the fact that the processes of national self-determination began by emphasising Indo-Malay fraternity. It shows how the two countries have different, contested interpretations of Indo-Malay history, and how the continuing suspicion of Javanese hegemony which defined much of the history of the Indo-Malay world is also a key factor in the relationship.

This new appraisal of their relationship offers groundbreaking new insights into the way in which the Malaysian and Singapore states see both themselves and each other.

In Cambodia’s Muslims and the Malay World Philipp Bruckmayr examines the development of Cambodia’s Muslim minority from the mid-19th to the 21st century. Particular attention is paid to Malay influence, Islamic factionalism and the minority context.

This volume departs from conventional historiography concerned with colonialism in the Malay world, by turning to the use of knowledge generated by European presence in the region. The aim here is to map the ways in which European observers and scholars interpreted the ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity which has been seen as a hallmark of Southeast Asia. With a chronological scope of the eighteenth to the early twentieth century, contributors examine not only European writing on the Malay world, but the complex origins of various forms of knowledge, dependent on local agency but always closely intertwined with contemporary metropolitan scientific and scholarly ideas. Knowledge of the peoples, languages and music of the Malay world, it is argued, came to inform and shape European scholarship within a variety of areas, such as Enlightenment science and anthropology, ideas of human progress, philological theory, ethnomusicology and emerging theories of race. But this volume also contributes to ongoing debates within the region, by discussing ideas about the Malay language and definitions of ‘Malayness’. The last chapters of the book present a reversed viewpoint, in examinations of how local cultural forms, theatrical traditions and literature were reshaped and given new meaning through encounters with cosmopolitanism and perceived modernity. This book was previously published as a special issue of Indonesia and the Malay World.

"This book offers a panoramic yet in-depth historical analysis of the inter-linkages between India and Malaysia, which are a microcosm of the much larger relationship between South Asia and Southeast Asia, as these have evolved for more than two millenia. Both regions shared rich traditions, first of their Hindu and Buddhist, and later of their Islamic heritage. Till the arrival of European colonialists about five hundred years ago, the people of South and Southeast Asia interacted freely and peaceably. Trade, religion and culture were the leitmotifs of this interaction, and technological prowess in shipbuilding its mainstay. By the end of the eighteenth century, colonial machinations, including the forced demise of India0́9s shipbuilding industry, had impoverished large swathes of people aross South and Southeast Asia, and severely restricted their interaction. Indentured labour and convicts, overseers and foremen, railway workers and members of the police force: these were the categories that served the interests of the colonial power. The book documents in chilling detail the tribulations faced by the enormous movement of manpower between India and Malaysia. The book brings out the role played by Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, among others, in shaping the relationship between India and Malaysia in the twentieth century. The book details the intricacies of the negotiations in the run-up to Malaya0́9s independence, together with the key issues of cooperation between Indian and Malaysian leaders, including Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Badawi and Najib Razak."--Publisher's website.