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A History of Malaysia
Malaysia's multicultural society supports one of the most dynamic economies in Asia. This completely revised new edition of the standard text, first published twenty years ago, traces the history of the country from early times to the present day. The authors give particular attention to the evolution of Malay polities and their close links with indigenous groups who lived on the oceans and in the deep jungles of the region, from Sumatra to Borneo. This provides the background to the establishment of the Malay port of Melaka, which was conquered by the Portuguese in 1511, foreshadowing the establishment of a British colonial regime in the late nineteenth century. Although the large numbers of Chinese and Indian migrants who arrived to work in the tin and rubber industries contributed to economic expansion, colonial policies did not encourage communal interaction. The authors trace the process by which post-independence leaders in Malaya attempted to counter the legacy of ethnic hostility while answering Malay demands for an affirmation of their rights and a stronger commitment to Islam. The incorporation of the Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah into the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 rendered the goal of welding a nation from areas that were geographically separated and culturally disparate even more problematic. The intense emotions attached to issues of race were made tragically evident in the racial riots of May 1969, which this book sees as a watershed in modern Malaysian history. As Malaysia enters the twenty-first century, the government is determined to oversee the transition to an economy focused on manufacturing and advanced technology, and to eliminate poverty and the association between occupation and race. While several recent studies deal with the impact of colonial rule and Malaysia's spectacular economic transition, this book is unique because it tracks developments from early times and identifies continuities as well as change. Combining the authors' specialist knowledge of precolonial sources with the most recent contemporary research, this new edition reinforces the position of A History of Malaysia position as a standard reference for all those interested in the historical processes which led to the emergence of this culturally varied and economically energetic country.
- GenresHistoryAsiaNonfiction
396 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1920
34 people are currently reading
384 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Watson Andaya
13 books12 followersBarbara Watson Andaya is an Australian historian and author who studies Indonesia and Maritime Southeast Asia. She has also done extensive research on women's history in Southeast Asia, and of late, on the localization of Christianity in the region. She teaches courses in Asian Studies as a full professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is director of the University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies. She was President of the American Association for Asian Studies from 2005 to 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 12, 2025
This is a classic and a must read text to understand Malaysian History. Starting from Srivjaya, Melaka and Johore Empire. These are Malay empire. Must be understood as one whole context if to understand Malays Supremacy.
April 2, 2017
A History of Malaysia is the standard work on the topic and effectively covers the broad scope of Malay history from Srivijaya to modern day Malaysia. The authors comprehensively illustrate common themes in the area's history -- a geographic position between India and China that led to broad cross-cultural blending but also a genius for adaptation, the tone and content of relationships between rulers and ruled, and centrifugal tendencies on the Peninsula and Borneo. The book is particularly strong on the ongoing discussion of what constitutes "Malay-ness," and ties together pre-colonial, colonial, and independence period trends. This is not an easy beach read; you might try Jim Baker's Crossroads: A Popular History of Malaysia and Singapore if you want "history without tears." But to truly understand the broad historical, economic and social trends in Malaysia, it would be hard to beat the Andayas' work.
December 26, 2019
This is an excellent introduction to the main themes and developments in Malaysia's history, starting with archaeological findings from the region's earliest settlers but beginning in earnest from the foundation of Malacca in 1400. While over half the book deals with the modern, colonial and post-independence periods of Malaysia's history, the first chapters provide a solid, if sometimes slightly rushed, appraisal of the 'rhythms' of early-modern Malaysia. This study would have benefited from a greater use of maps, charts or photos to help complement the text, which can sometimes feel too abstract for a general history such as this. Nevertheless, the scope of its research and breadth of analysis justifies a five-star rating, successfully providing an introductory understanding of Malaysia's history.
December 4, 2017
the scope of the book is impressive, and is probably its strongest selling point. it's kind of like a massive wikipedia page about malaysia, with better writing. like all wikipedia pages though, it's not meant to be comprehensive - just a very solid place to start.
May 29, 2017
It's a textbook. So, it reads like a textbook. Useful info but I would have preferred a pop history if I could have found one.
March 10, 2023
I have a feeling that I will spend a portion of my life in Malaysia, and yet the country is still indecipherable to me after already having spent a couple of years here. There are things that still make me wonder how things work, especially when considered from the perspective of ethnicity balance and the relationships between each group. I still don't understand the concept of being a Malaysian, with its hodgepodge of languages, beliefs and cultures. It is best to turn to history for that, especially when it's written without bias and it is tremendously well-researched.
To tell you the truth, I haven't read much on Malaysian history so much of what is written here is quite new to me, and shows how much I'm a newbie to this country still. For example, I didn't realise there was a difference between Malays and Orang Asli, that the concept of being "Malay" is more varied than I initially thought. We need to go back years and years for that. The Andayas started the book right in the beginning - from the earliest traces of humanity found in the region. Some of the bones found in the peninsula date back 10,000 years, evidence of tools are dated back 74,000 years. Though we know little about this time, we know that human history runs deep in this land.
I am Indonesian born and the ties between Malaysia and Indonesia interest me profoundly. From time immemorial, before Europeans got their hands dirty in Melaka, the region was dominated by the Sriwijaya kingdom which tied together the Malay peninsula with Sumatra. Sriwijaya was a bridge between the merchant trade of India to China. Along the way, Hindu influences also come to the region this way and much latter, Islam from Gujarat. This part of the world thus, has always been an important trading post not just for goods, but for cultures, languages and beliefs.
The entrance of the Europeans brought a new era to the region, up to this point still fragmented by other kingdoms who plainly just cannot get along. The Javanese kingdom was a constant pest to Sriwijaya, the Ayutthayas upstairs often flex downstairs to the peninsula, not to mention the Bugis who are just wreaking havoc in different parts of Indochina. Many historians consider the taking of Melaka in 1511 as the beginning of Malaysia as we know it. It definitely had an impact, but the makeup of the peninsula with its range of cultures make this more complex.
I won't rehash the history of the European pillaging of the Malay peninsula, but sure to say that each of the colonial powers which sat on the region had different influences on their own and managed the region in their own styles. Unsurprisingly, it was the English with their "indirect rule" which had the most success until the Japanese came to power during World War II. The Portuguese rule was unmemorable aside from the initial conquest, the Dutch with the VOC are primarily commercially minded like leeches but really had no interest in the locals. The English officers often need to communicate in Malay to hold posts in Malaya.
It was the case of Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah) that interested me. I didn't know that for a long time Sarawak was ruled by white rajahs, which is ironic considering the diversities of the ethnic groups. James Brooks, whose rule considered the preservation of local customs, was an interesting case of benevolent rule, if you want to call it that. Sabah and Sarawak play such a key role in the definition of what it is to be Malay, that it makes this ethereal identity more ambiguous. The term "Bumiputera" becomes an umbrella term for Malaysians of Malay descent and of ethnic and aboriginal tribes in the country. This has an undertone: if you're not one of us, you're one of them.
Yet, the ethnic makeup in Sarawak alone is rich and diverse. The authors pointed out that the Malay identity are often equated to those who claims Islam as their religion, but this is not the case for many ethnic groups. The success of evangelism means that for many, such as Bidayuh and the Ibans, that many have adopted Christianity. For a long time, the proportion of Malays to the Chinese were about equal, but at some point, the Malays emerge as the dominant ethnic group.
The Chinese themselves are richly diverse (an unavoidable word that we use a lot to describe Malaysia), with different groups speaking different dialects - the Hakkas, the Tionghoas, the Hokkiens, the Cantonese all coming from different villages. In the beginning, the Chinese workers came as tin miners, bringing their own knowledge and in the process accumulating wealth and bringintheir own knowledge and in the process accumulating wealth and bringing their families and communities over.
The rise of the Malay Chinese is well documented, and with each societies having their own records, we know more about it now than in the last century. Malay Chinese was the target and the battleground for the CCP and GMD from mainland China, as it descends into proxy war. All the while the Chinese communities bicker among themselves and making dubious alliances with other Malay groups. Yet, the Chinese due to their business nous and work ethic managed to be the financially dominant group in the region.
It is this tension between the Chinese and the Malays and the Indians that define the country of Malaysia. The Andayas with academic objectivity managed to include the events which define these divisions, from independence, the race riots of May 13, to the birth of the party politics. It is still the tension that I think is still defining the country, especially with the recent events which culminated in the 1MDB scandal. The political landscape is now defining the cultural landscape, and while Malaysia is a country tolerant of others' beliefs, there are signs that ethnic tensions are shifting the country still every day.
I'm also glad that the discussion of the Malay language is covered in all angles in the book. Bahasa Melayu shares a lot of similarities with Indonesian, yet pertaining its own colour and tone. While for a long time, English was the administrative language of Malaya, it was not until after independence that it came into full force into the public education system, even replacing English at a tertiary level. I'm amazed to this day how Malaysians are multi-lingual and the history of the region alone contribute to a lot of that, but as plenty of Malaysians identify more with their family's culture than the national identity, many Malaysians resort to speaking in English with each other. There are positives and negatives in this: it's good in a sense that it gives everybody a common ground with such an international language, it's not as good as there are no attachments to your national identity with the language.
It all has to do with education from the beginning, and the fact that there are schools servicing different ethnic groups also create these cultural divides that we see today. Education and language go hand in hand. The Andayas also did a remarkable job in breaking down the pedagogical history of the independent Malaysia, as well as the effects to how things stand today.
I can ramble on and on in this country that I am living and yet still trying to figure out. The deeper you dive into Malaysian history, or at least, the history of the region, the more amazed you'd be on the kaleidoscopic nature of the place. The Andayas don't plan on publishing a fourth edition of the book, but they were compelled to due to the ever-changing nature of the Malaysian political and cultural landscape. By the way things are going now with its ever-increasing complexity, they may be compelled to do a fourth.
To tell you the truth, I haven't read much on Malaysian history so much of what is written here is quite new to me, and shows how much I'm a newbie to this country still. For example, I didn't realise there was a difference between Malays and Orang Asli, that the concept of being "Malay" is more varied than I initially thought. We need to go back years and years for that. The Andayas started the book right in the beginning - from the earliest traces of humanity found in the region. Some of the bones found in the peninsula date back 10,000 years, evidence of tools are dated back 74,000 years. Though we know little about this time, we know that human history runs deep in this land.
I am Indonesian born and the ties between Malaysia and Indonesia interest me profoundly. From time immemorial, before Europeans got their hands dirty in Melaka, the region was dominated by the Sriwijaya kingdom which tied together the Malay peninsula with Sumatra. Sriwijaya was a bridge between the merchant trade of India to China. Along the way, Hindu influences also come to the region this way and much latter, Islam from Gujarat. This part of the world thus, has always been an important trading post not just for goods, but for cultures, languages and beliefs.
The entrance of the Europeans brought a new era to the region, up to this point still fragmented by other kingdoms who plainly just cannot get along. The Javanese kingdom was a constant pest to Sriwijaya, the Ayutthayas upstairs often flex downstairs to the peninsula, not to mention the Bugis who are just wreaking havoc in different parts of Indochina. Many historians consider the taking of Melaka in 1511 as the beginning of Malaysia as we know it. It definitely had an impact, but the makeup of the peninsula with its range of cultures make this more complex.
I won't rehash the history of the European pillaging of the Malay peninsula, but sure to say that each of the colonial powers which sat on the region had different influences on their own and managed the region in their own styles. Unsurprisingly, it was the English with their "indirect rule" which had the most success until the Japanese came to power during World War II. The Portuguese rule was unmemorable aside from the initial conquest, the Dutch with the VOC are primarily commercially minded like leeches but really had no interest in the locals. The English officers often need to communicate in Malay to hold posts in Malaya.
It was the case of Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah) that interested me. I didn't know that for a long time Sarawak was ruled by white rajahs, which is ironic considering the diversities of the ethnic groups. James Brooks, whose rule considered the preservation of local customs, was an interesting case of benevolent rule, if you want to call it that. Sabah and Sarawak play such a key role in the definition of what it is to be Malay, that it makes this ethereal identity more ambiguous. The term "Bumiputera" becomes an umbrella term for Malaysians of Malay descent and of ethnic and aboriginal tribes in the country. This has an undertone: if you're not one of us, you're one of them.
Yet, the ethnic makeup in Sarawak alone is rich and diverse. The authors pointed out that the Malay identity are often equated to those who claims Islam as their religion, but this is not the case for many ethnic groups. The success of evangelism means that for many, such as Bidayuh and the Ibans, that many have adopted Christianity. For a long time, the proportion of Malays to the Chinese were about equal, but at some point, the Malays emerge as the dominant ethnic group.
The Chinese themselves are richly diverse (an unavoidable word that we use a lot to describe Malaysia), with different groups speaking different dialects - the Hakkas, the Tionghoas, the Hokkiens, the Cantonese all coming from different villages. In the beginning, the Chinese workers came as tin miners, bringing their own knowledge and in the process accumulating wealth and bringintheir own knowledge and in the process accumulating wealth and bringing their families and communities over.
The rise of the Malay Chinese is well documented, and with each societies having their own records, we know more about it now than in the last century. Malay Chinese was the target and the battleground for the CCP and GMD from mainland China, as it descends into proxy war. All the while the Chinese communities bicker among themselves and making dubious alliances with other Malay groups. Yet, the Chinese due to their business nous and work ethic managed to be the financially dominant group in the region.
It is this tension between the Chinese and the Malays and the Indians that define the country of Malaysia. The Andayas with academic objectivity managed to include the events which define these divisions, from independence, the race riots of May 13, to the birth of the party politics. It is still the tension that I think is still defining the country, especially with the recent events which culminated in the 1MDB scandal. The political landscape is now defining the cultural landscape, and while Malaysia is a country tolerant of others' beliefs, there are signs that ethnic tensions are shifting the country still every day.
I'm also glad that the discussion of the Malay language is covered in all angles in the book. Bahasa Melayu shares a lot of similarities with Indonesian, yet pertaining its own colour and tone. While for a long time, English was the administrative language of Malaya, it was not until after independence that it came into full force into the public education system, even replacing English at a tertiary level. I'm amazed to this day how Malaysians are multi-lingual and the history of the region alone contribute to a lot of that, but as plenty of Malaysians identify more with their family's culture than the national identity, many Malaysians resort to speaking in English with each other. There are positives and negatives in this: it's good in a sense that it gives everybody a common ground with such an international language, it's not as good as there are no attachments to your national identity with the language.
It all has to do with education from the beginning, and the fact that there are schools servicing different ethnic groups also create these cultural divides that we see today. Education and language go hand in hand. The Andayas also did a remarkable job in breaking down the pedagogical history of the independent Malaysia, as well as the effects to how things stand today.
I can ramble on and on in this country that I am living and yet still trying to figure out. The deeper you dive into Malaysian history, or at least, the history of the region, the more amazed you'd be on the kaleidoscopic nature of the place. The Andayas don't plan on publishing a fourth edition of the book, but they were compelled to due to the ever-changing nature of the Malaysian political and cultural landscape. By the way things are going now with its ever-increasing complexity, they may be compelled to do a fourth.
December 2, 2025
Great survey-style history of Malaysia. I like to read a survey-style history of a country when I visit it. It helps to give me context, and it means that I don't have to choose a specific time or place to zoom into, I can just get a broad overview, especially since it's often unlikely that I'll read many other books about a place. This felt like an excellent choice for Malaysia–it covers a long time period and even goes nearly up until the present day. The other thing is that Malaysia's history is fascinating. I find this every time I read about the history of a place, but literally everywhere has wonderful, amazing history. I read it with a special attention to the Chinese in Malaysia, and I was quite interested in it.
April 27, 2025
A History of Malaysia is a second reprint of a seminal study on how the region developed and was influenced by China, Europeans and other outside forces. From a collection of local kingdoms to a critical hub of trade between China and Europe this book tracks the development of the region. It is a great book if you are looking for an overview of Malaysia and how it became the country it is today. The reprint brings you from the 1970’s to early 2000’s.
May 15, 2020
Clear, concise, reasonably comprehensive history (up to 1999) with minimal editorializing.
December 27, 2011
This book has become recommended background reading in university courses for a number of decades now (with a Malay translation of the original edition to boot). It is not hard to see why. Its scope extends from the earliest known pre-historical archaeological fragments, to the past cultural and economic glories of the Srivijaya and Melaka periods, to encroaching colonialism and imperial rule, and finally contemporary affairs at time of publication (the updated edition is dated 2001). The burden of weaving such a synthesis together appears to have been worn quite lightly. The writing is not particularly inspired, but benefits from being concise without glossing over some amount of historical controversy. That being said, the penultimate chapter on recent developments from 1969 onwards feels almost obligatory, verging on sports commentary at times. Much of this recent history I suspect will be common knowledge for most readers familiar with Malaysian affairs.
The writers conclude by teasing out five themes from their historical survey that have permeated Malaysian history: (1) constant contact with the outside world for ideas, goods, people (2) the often symbiotic relationship between the rulers and the ruled (3) power struggles between political centres and peripheral areas (4) the nature of being 'Malay' (5) the incorporation and assimilation of migrants. To this one could presumably also add other themes, such as the nature of sovereignty, commercial society, the role of Islam, perhaps even relations with and perceptions of the environment, and so on.
The indicative bibliography at the back seems good (although virtually only for English language readings), and is well-organised for readers looking at more specialized areas, including recent history.
The writers conclude by teasing out five themes from their historical survey that have permeated Malaysian history: (1) constant contact with the outside world for ideas, goods, people (2) the often symbiotic relationship between the rulers and the ruled (3) power struggles between political centres and peripheral areas (4) the nature of being 'Malay' (5) the incorporation and assimilation of migrants. To this one could presumably also add other themes, such as the nature of sovereignty, commercial society, the role of Islam, perhaps even relations with and perceptions of the environment, and so on.
The indicative bibliography at the back seems good (although virtually only for English language readings), and is well-organised for readers looking at more specialized areas, including recent history.
July 29, 2016
Picked this up as I was travelling to Malaysia and like to have a book to read to learn more about the place while I'm travelling. This book was not a good choice for such a purpose - it's way too dense and detail-laden for a casual reader. I found out after buying that this book is often used as a textbook, and it feels like it. Its not badly written and might be a great resource for a student or scholar looking for an introduction to Malaysian history. For a casual reader, however, I would look elsewhere - personally I didn't get beyond the first chapter. I ended up reading A Malaysian Journey instead and found this to be a much better choice - a personal story with a lot of modern Malaysian history interwoven.
December 17, 2022
Undoubtedly the best history book of Malaysia that I have ever read. The authors have other publications, papers and books that do delve deeper into specific topics but this book does a great overview that feels comprehensive.
August 29, 2020
Still the best general history of Malaysia, readable, erudite and succinct. A classic both to read and for reference!
August 20, 2025
Reads like a textbook. More focused on the evolution of Malaysia’s governance system and less on its social history.
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