Malayland

by Dina Zaman

What does it mean to be Malay in the 21st century? Especially in a country like Malaysia where identity politics is questioned on an almost daily basis, and policed by the state. 16 years later after the publication of I Am Muslim, Dina Zaman returns to write a memoir, writing about what it means to be Malay, and Muslim in the 21st century.

The writer embarked on Malayland during the Covid pandemic, to understand the anger and frustrations of her fellow ethnic Malays who were fighting against (imagined) enemies and a new world order impacted by a virus that killed over seven million people globally. She grew up in a Malaysia that was seething with anger, bubbling underneath the many nightclubs Malaysia was famed for in the 1980s, that witnessed how secularism killed its Malay Muslim heritage. The 1998 Reformasi movement changed Malaysia and whether for the better, is left up to Malaysians to decide.

Today race and faith are discussed and embraced frenetically, where hateful extremism is hidden under the guise of nationalism. Young Malaysians are asserting their political and birth identities through social media. And along the way, the sense of irony and humour that Malaysia is known for, has lost its way. Malayland is a reflective memories and flashbacks of a childhood filled with earthquakes, spooks and a sense of wonderment and curiosity about a country that is fighting for a desired identity.

Genres: Nonfiction

151 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2024

Reviews

[Fajar Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire book feels like it stays at the very surface of the issue, listing the many different kinds of people interested in defining Malay-ness but never fleshing out any single conclusion to it. The conversations mentioned sound very interesting but we're only given glimpses at the content of them. I don't think this book gave me any new relevant info for me to use as context for my own explanation of identity.

[Julien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malayland is an interesting book in theory, but in practice, it often feels like a long reading list disguised as an argument. At just 147 pages, it should be a concise, engaging exploration of Malaysia’s cultural and political identity, but instead, it’s packed with over a hundred footnotes, constantly pointing the reader to other books and studies rather than developing its own ideas.

Dina Zaman is clearly well-read, and she makes sure you know it. Throughout the book, there’s a strong sense that she sees herself as not just more informed than the reader, but also a cut above her peers. Rather than building a structured argument, she frequently defers to other sources, making it feel like she’s curating a discussion rather than leading one. While references are valuable, Malayland relies on them so much that it sometimes feels like it’s avoiding deeper engagement with its own subject matter.

That said, there are moments where the book raises genuinely interesting points, if only they were explored further. Readers who enjoy academic deep dives and don’t mind chasing footnotes may find value here, but those looking for a book that offers a strong, standalone perspective may find it frustrating. Malayland has ambition, but it leans too heavily on external sources, making it more of a gateway to other works than a compelling read in itself.

[Faris · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is insightful, thought-provoking, and unflinching in its writing. the author, in a series of interviews with people from various walks of life, manages to produce a compelling narrative that challenges my preconceived notions on “malayness” and the malay people. the discussions forced me to see the world through the lenses of those whom ive disregarded, giving me a new sense of understanding.

growing up abroad myself, this fascination with “malayness” that the author descibes is one that i can resonate deeply with, hence why im stepping out of my comfort-zone with this read. by the last page, i can say that this book has been particularly impactful and i look forward to reading more from her. (and also the works she cited!)

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the review first before decided to buy & enjoy it. Some of the reviews said that this book is only talking about the surface. But as someone who is only going to Kuala Lumpur as a tourist, what Dina Zaman has written in Malayland is something new to me.

This book has 7 chapters with each chapter talking about “specific” topic. From Dina Zaman’s past (her ancestor & how she described her identity at that time to how she sees Islam in Malaysia.

As Indonesian, I see Malaysia has several things that make me envious. For example, their access to book. But I don’t realize they still make racist system works—that Malay consider as lazy than Chinese and Indians. Through this book, I have just known that racist system is still there.

Eventhough people said it’s not deep, Malayland gave me glimpse of social structure in Malaysia that I can google it later. I admit, I don’t have many infos and knowledge about Malaysian history so it didn’t surprise me when I got confuse on some paragraphs 😂

In conclusion, I enjoy Malayland. It brings me new perspective about Malaysia & yeah… we are not that different, aren’t we? 👀

[Karl Kilbo Edlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book within 48 hours of buying it. Zaman writes wonderfully, she's personal, she's engaging and she makes the situations and dilemmas accessible. For me, being fairly new to the world of Malaysian politics, this book provided a fascinating, accessible and entertaining glimpse of the country. Zaman also provides a wealth of references that would be interesting to explore in more detail.

[Jack Malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that speaks about the current times of Malaysia. Malayland feels like that mamak-session discussions—but in a good way.

[Marie Edlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zaman ger en inblick i hur det är att leva i Malaysia. För mig som inte är så insatt i landets möjligheter och problem blev det en omskakande introduktion. Då hon vid flera tillfällen refererar politiska organisationer och händelser missade jag endel. Men ändå mycket tänkvärd.

[Ali]

this didnt do it for me lol

[Pree · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this quite a bit! dina has an accessible way of writing, drops the prétention on a topic that’s otherwise written in an academic way.

i liked the slicing and dicing of malay identity into ethnonationalists, islamists, professionals, veiled women etc. — went beyond the usual reduction of malay/islamist or progressive/conservative. you see class featured heavily, and questions surrounding why it is not more prominent in our political discourse (hint: who would stand to lose from that).

i think there is a power (even if you are putting yourself under fire) for an in group member to approach the topic with a critical lens. but with care and nuance. that’s it — nuance — is what dina carried throughout the book. never prescribing.

anyway - recommend 👍🏽

[Edwin Goh Wei Qian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished Dina's "Malayland" in one sitting.

Upon reflection, I found many parallels between Malaysian Chinese and Malay identity struggles.

The book reveals how sub-identity communities share anxieties about cultural erosion and authenticity, creating a gap for politics and skepticism to divide us.

Despite the author's evident weariness with the topic, reading this book still offers me hope through her exploration of a "third culture" identity that transcends traditional boundaries.

Perhaps to paraphrase her words, we have an uneasy relationship with our country, and it's one that deserves both our criticism and commitment to building bridges

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

As a Singaporean Malay person lacking the background understanding of Malaysia, I found that the book gave me much food for thought about what it meant to be Malay in Singapore. Much like Malaysia, it comes with legal implications (CMIO classification), and separately being Muslim has its own consequences in terms of inheritance and marriage. While less intertwined than Malaysia, given that I could be Malay without being Muslim and vice versa, there is certainly an intermingling in the way these identities are treated socially (e.g. by state media) and politically (e.g. in institutions such as Yayasan Mendaki).

Of course, it also attempted to give me some introduction to the history of "Malay" in Malaysia, but I felt that there was a lack of clarity in what it was trying to say. It wanted to be part-memoir, part-academic text, and in trying to do both simultaneously in what I felt to be too short a word count, it failed. The memoir sections felt restrained and scared to express itself. It parroted her diplobrat childhood over and over again in different parts of the text repetitively. The academic bits were also far too clipped for the complexity it was trying to espouse. I felt like I was being lectured about how complicated it instead of being shown. It offered little sense-making of the threads it drew upon and avoided saying anything at all.

I enjoyed the interviews though, and I almost wish there were more perspectives shown more in depth. The contents were interesting and I'd love to hear a more academic treatment put on them too. Alas. Thank you for the primer on Malay issues.

[Sara Sofea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book wanting to understand another person's Malay Experience. I always found my experience of Malayness to be singular and hard to verbalise. I left this book feeling more confused than ever.

Granted, Malayness isn't a monolith. This is what the author has outlined in the book - the various "identity anchors" or versions of Malays that exist. Throughout the book, we follow the author's journey in understanding the many facets of Malayness, which I thought was quite interesting and in-depth.

But I found that the way the author presents herself at the beginning of the book shapes the way I view her perspectives. Her self-described upbringing as a "third-culture kid," surrounded by diplomats and fellow Malays living in Bukit Damansara, paints an image of an insular Malay experience.

This is where I feel this book is limiting. Of course, this book is specific to the author's POV of Malayness and not Malaysia, but what is the Malay race anyways? Sure, we are a "legal" definition inclusive of all the different ethnicities in the Nusantara region (Jawa, Bugis, etc), but the Malay race at its current state is a mix of migration from all over the world, and I think a "true Malay" in that sense doesn't exist anymore. And this identity crisis impacts Malayness and how Malay people see themselves. I wish this version of Malay diversity were explored as well.

Beyond our history, the current state of Malayness also exists in relation to other races in Malaysia. I wish the author had gone into how Malay people form their identity *in response* to other races - regardless of whether this is in contrast or in harmony with other cultures. Malay identity as a response to other Malaysian identities is explained briefly through the economic point of view, but not too much culturally.

I started to think that the lack of discussions can even be read as the author's alienation, inability to relate or maybe even discontent with the non-Malay community:

"At the same time, I am asked by non-Malay friends why the Malays were like this and that. I had a call once at one in the morning, and I told the person to befriend a Malay and then figure us out. You're a Malaysian, and you don't have a Malay friend? What an idiot."

She rebuts by saying that even if you have a racially diverse pool of friends, they belong to the same social and economic class, therefore making the relationships... uncomplex? Making non-Malay interaction unworthy of exploration? Making non-Malay culture and nuance unworthy of discussion? The quote asserts the point of view of the author's lack of curiosity or grace for the non-Malay experience.

Maybe the author is of a different generation, where the idea of Malayness contains multitudes, but only within the confines of other Malay people. Maybe it's because of my age, and maybe because in my generation, Malaysia has become a larger melting pot, that I experience being Malay differently. Maybe that's why this book feels hollow in some respects, because it doesn't consider (not reflect) the changes in modern Malaysia.

This book works well in understanding an individual's journey to discovering their Malayhood; it attempts to highlight the multitudes of Malayness, but alas, it falls short.

[Susan Loone · Rating 4 out of 5]

SYABAS Dina Zaman for another thought provoking book, Malayland published by Faction Press and Ethos Book (Singapore 2025).

I like how you spell 'Malayland' in one word to show that the community is one with the land they live on, breathe and breed.

Thanks to Covid 2019 pandemic, Dina's latest exploration is not just a memoir, it's a poignant journey into the heart of her ethnic Malay community.

In her book, Dina helps us understand the anxieties of her community as they grappled with all kinds of threats in world altered by a virus that claimed over seven million lives.

Since young I grew up in a Malay setting - civil servants housing community in Pahang, went to school with 95 percent Malay kids whose parents are in the army, my parents themselves are kakitangan kerajaan. This means we have many Malay friends, we eat their foods and attend each other's celebrations with ease and joy, we were there during floodtimes in Kuantan, and whenever we needed help from others

It is through these interactions that we learn that the Malays like every other group on this planet, are complex individuals, a tapestry woven with diverse perspectives and experiences.

You can't generalise them, you can't just have one or two examples of a Malay and think you know the whole community.

Like every other group, there are moderates, extremists and apathetic individuals among us. Try not to view or paint anyone with a bias or prejudiced lens.

I like this quote from page 140: "I am asked by non-Malay friends why the Malays are like this and that. I had a call once at one in the morning, and I told the person to befriend a Malay and then figure us out. You're a Malaysian and you don't have a Malay friend? What an idiot".

Spot on!

Malayland will surely spark meaningful dialogue with the hope of fostering a deeper understanding of each other as fellow human beings.

Identity politics and poitical Islam is at the heart of this understanding, and it is best to get somw guidance and knowledge of the community by reading a book like Dina's Malayland.

She observes that in present-day Malaysia, discussions surrounding race and faith have become fervent, even feverish.


Extremist viewpoints often find refuge under the guise of patriotism, nationalism, or even religiousity

Young or senior, Malaysians have no qualms about asserting their political and inherited identities across social media platforms.

During my childhood days, the comfortable mingling and tolerance among communities that once characterized Malaysia seems now lost in space. Sad.

Great effort, Dina, and thank you. Books such as yours will one day serve as a wealth of knowledge which will surely help us grow in understandinng, tolerance, acceptance and perhaps, who knows, love for each other.

Ends.

[meybees · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like a 2.5?

Dina Zaman is obviously very well-read, but as an interrogation into Malay identity, she does stay very surface level as other reviews have commented. I was expecting something akin to personal portraits, insightful and in-depth commentary, but oftentimes it felt more like a research theses to be presented to a think tank - which would be fine, if that’s how it appears to be on the cover, or how it’s explained to be in the first chapter.

However, she never really gets at the heart of any issues, nor provides her interview subjects with any further depth than ‘here are some aspects of their identity and I prefer the heartfelt kampung over the hoity toityness of the urban Malays who look down on them’ which is a fair point to make, but isn’t really saying anything new or very much more insightful since it’s not explored as well as it should be.

As someone who also has mixed parentage and is extremely divorced from Malayness in my upbringing (1/8th only) I also wanted to pick this up as an examination and interrogation into parts of my own identity, and Zaman seems to have had a somewhat similar childhood… but I’d love to see these ideas explored in its own memoir, rather than interspersed throughout a research theses as a catchy hook.

Ultimately, what does it mean to be Malay? This book presents some choices some people have made, but fails to examine its subjects more closely or intimately such that almost no conclusion is drawn.

I also wonder what audience specifically Zaman wrote this for, as some footnotes explain / translate specific Malaysian things that would typically be clear. I’d also like to see more of her voice and her thoughts or conclusions, but instead I’ve been pointed in the direction of numerous studies and articles and other thinkers…

[Shafiqah Nor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important, captivating and highly recommended read (especially if you are Malay), I devoured this book in one sitting. Compiling anecdotes and interviews, this book gives voice from ordinary Malays explaining: What it means to be a Malay?

Dina Zaman provided a number of thought-provoking reflections including:
- the plurality of Malay identity;
- questions on perception, belonging and disenfranchisement;
- coexistence and conflation of Malay and Muslim identity, with the branding of faith as a capitalist tool; and
- socioeconomic divide of Malayness for political gains - including ethnonationalism/liberalism in Malaysia

She beautifully captured that "what it means to be Malay is a constant, but it also does evolve."

As a Malay reader who resides in Canada, this rings personally true - as it is impossible to negate the Malay identity within me, but my Malay teachings will always shape, challenge and define the paradigm of the reality in my life (through learning and unlearning processes). This is how we grow as individuals and society. Culture is fluid.

Reading this book felt like 'home'. It was relatable on many levels. The writing was seamless....hilarious in many parts where I caught myself chuckling often, especially in her use of footnotes and her candidness at making sense of confusion and her experiences.

Thank you for pioneering such an important discourse on identity.

[Izalette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like the author is still reminiscing about her party days — she constantly brings up the clubs she used to frequent, which starts to feel repetitive and distracts from the larger themes.

One major omission is the role of the monarchy. The sultans play a big part in shaping Malay identity, and it’s surprising that this was barely acknowledged. Similarly, there’s little discussion on how the education system impacts the construction of Malayness.

The book does offer a good discourse and raises some important questions, but it lacks a clear conclusion or sense of where to go next. It’s very open-ended, which can be frustrating — there’s no real resolution or consensus on how to move forward. It would have been great if the author had taken a bold stance or offered suggestions, but she seems too afraid to offend. That hesitation really limits the impact of what could have been a more insightful book.

In the end, I think I was looking for something more rigorous — perhaps an anthropological study — and this wasn’t it.

[Yusof Nik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have to add this book to my list of Malay studies must reads just next to Dr Mahathir’s The Malay Dilemma. I think there has been a lot of tectonic shifts in Malay thinking that have been a subject of discussion at various social circles. It was all talk, and Dina translated them to words beautifully in her latest work. Her adventures in Peninsular Malaysia, Tanah Melayu or Malayland as she calls it is recorded in the right way for me to grasp the changes that are happening. The casts of characters were varied and she managed to humanise them for all her readers. If this is going to be her last book on Malays, I think someone needs to carry on this torch. There are still Malays of Singapore, Borneo, and now Malays in Australia that should be a new subject to talk about. Will keep this book somewhere visible on my shelf since I know I will want to read a random chapter again one day.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The definition of what it means to be Malay, Malaysian, or even Muslim is an ever evolving one and one that is not to be threaded lightly or yet even confined to its four walls. I had no expectations coming in to read Malayland, but one thing that it pointed out to me was how unexposed I am about the opinions and conversations my fellow neighboring country has within the confines of its own nation, and made me more curious about the influences in which this perpetuates the nation as a whole on the world stage or just as an outsider looking in. I appreciate the footnotes that provide further elaboration on the cultural meaning of terms that were expressed, and also the additional resources shared that allow readers to go further in their own space and time on this topic that is continually shifting. Perhaps a following read that would be a good accompaniment to this is Dina Zaman's earlier book I am Malay.

[Talei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there was a lot of assumed knowledge for reading this book. I learnt quite a lot of things so thank you! As a Pacific studies person, I couldn't help but wonder about Malays relationship to the land, the broader archipelago nusantara, Sunda, austronesian and colonial histories, etc. Or how that pervades the present (and not just at a superficial level and how symbols or aesthetics are appropriated by what she describes as "ethno-centrists").

[Reza Zin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just seemed to be a collection of ramblings and musings about meeting various types of people to discuss the idea of 'being Malay'. But just brief thoughts, without in-depth discussions of the ideas or viewpoints that they had. I don't feel like I have any more insight into 'Malayland' compared with before I read the book.

[Norliza · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book felt more like a rant of the issue without making any assertions. It comes off as superficial as if quoting names of interviewees give credibility to the book. The author seems to get headaches often. Numerous reference to Siti Kassim with no link to the issue. SK is not a reference of what a Malay is.

[Rachel Loh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not one that will leave you with concrete answers about what being Malay means but it has expanded my knowledge and world on what Malays in Malaysia are facing in terms of identity. It’s helped me understand my neighbours better.

[Wan Katzlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking...

[Rahdika K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspectives. Though sounded more like essays on exploring the author’s identity. Laden with enormous reading list. Review soon.

[Hay · Rating 2 out of 5]

A meandering unstructured hot mess; she literally writes that she has no thesis in her book

[Athirah Dayana Binti Ahmad Fadzil · Rating 3 out of 5]

insightful but i think this issue is too complex to uncover…

[Lily Qistina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learnt a lot about myself