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State-led Modernization and the New Middle Class in Malaysia
Rich in detail and lucidly written, this is the first definitive study of the new middle class in Malaysia. Abdul Rahman Embong examines the emergence and role of the new Malay middle class, particularly with regard to democratization and evolution of civil society in Malaysia. As well as exploring variations within the class across the country, the author also draws comparisons with the Malay working class, and the middle classes of China, India and elsewhere in East Asia.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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About the author
Abdul Rahman Embong
20 books6 followersAbdul Rahman Embong, Ph. D., ialah Profesor dalam bidang Sosiologi Pembangunan dan Felo Utama Institut Kajian Malaysia dan Antarabangsa (IKMAS), UKM. Beliau juga Presiden Persatuan Sains Sosial Malaysia sejak tahun 2000 sehingga sekarang. Antara penerbitan beliau dengan Penerbit UKM ialah Negara-bangsa: Proses dan Perbahasan (2000), Negara, Pasaran dan Pemodenan Malaysia (2000), Southeast Asian Middle Classes: Prospects for Sosial Change and Democratisation (2001) dan Globalisation, Culture and Inequalities: In Honour of Ishak Shari (2004).
Abdul Rahman Embong, Ph.D., is Professor in the Sociology of Development at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Among his other works with UKM Press are Negara Bangsa: Proses dan Perbahasan (2000), Southeast Asian Middle Classes: Prospects for Social Change and Democratisation (ed., 2001), and Globalisation, Culture and Inequalities: In Honour of the Late Ishak Shari (ed., 2004).
Abdul Rahman Embong, Ph.D., is Professor in the Sociology of Development at the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Among his other works with UKM Press are Negara Bangsa: Proses dan Perbahasan (2000), Southeast Asian Middle Classes: Prospects for Social Change and Democratisation (ed., 2001), and Globalisation, Culture and Inequalities: In Honour of the Late Ishak Shari (ed., 2004).
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November 29, 2017
The first thing you have to keep in mind in that this book was published in 2002. This was before the Malaysian opposition coalition secured a historical 47.79% vote in Parliament, before the prevalence of social media and certainly before the current fracturing of contemporary identity politics. With that in context, State-Led Modernization and the New Middle Class in Malaysia is a perfect book to backdrop a post-NEP Malaysia. It's an effortful study by sociologist Abdul Rahman Embong who seeks to peel away the many layers that make up the emerging Malay middle class.
This study covers three different Malay middle-class demographics: Klang Valley (Selangor), Kota Bharu (Kelantan) and Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu). The study is limited by an East Coast and national capital dichotomy, but it's this sample which makes its study illuminating. Takeaways from the study:
1. The NEP's impact is overstated. The emergence or move into the middle-class was certainly nudged by it but did not make a huge impact as popularly imagined or so often stated by media or politicians.
2. Communal values are strong among the Malay community, with an importation of kampung (village) templates into the new urban neighbourhoods they reside in.
3. There is an obvious cultural and political divide among the Malay middle-class, but those on the liberal-cosmopolitan range are a minority compared to the rest who are either more neutral or conservative.
4. Politically, when the Malay middle-class expresses support for opposition parties, it is not because they support the opposition literally - but see it as a way to 'punish' the ruling party. There is great value placed on stability that is attributed historically to Umno and the Barisan coalition.
5. NGOs, environment and consumer groups (civil society) is viewed with some suspicion as the issues that they champion for are tied more with Western-democratic values as opposed to the cultural norms. It is also likely because civil societies are seen often clashing opinions with the government.
There are other aspects of the study and its greater details that illuminate the condition and culture of the Malay middle-class. This is a book that requires careful reading; after all, it is an academic text. But wade through the pages and you'll be rewarded. Like I said earlier, the findings might be dated - but there are elements of it that ring true even today. Now if only an updated study could be conducted.
This study covers three different Malay middle-class demographics: Klang Valley (Selangor), Kota Bharu (Kelantan) and Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu). The study is limited by an East Coast and national capital dichotomy, but it's this sample which makes its study illuminating. Takeaways from the study:
1. The NEP's impact is overstated. The emergence or move into the middle-class was certainly nudged by it but did not make a huge impact as popularly imagined or so often stated by media or politicians.
2. Communal values are strong among the Malay community, with an importation of kampung (village) templates into the new urban neighbourhoods they reside in.
3. There is an obvious cultural and political divide among the Malay middle-class, but those on the liberal-cosmopolitan range are a minority compared to the rest who are either more neutral or conservative.
4. Politically, when the Malay middle-class expresses support for opposition parties, it is not because they support the opposition literally - but see it as a way to 'punish' the ruling party. There is great value placed on stability that is attributed historically to Umno and the Barisan coalition.
5. NGOs, environment and consumer groups (civil society) is viewed with some suspicion as the issues that they champion for are tied more with Western-democratic values as opposed to the cultural norms. It is also likely because civil societies are seen often clashing opinions with the government.
There are other aspects of the study and its greater details that illuminate the condition and culture of the Malay middle-class. This is a book that requires careful reading; after all, it is an academic text. But wade through the pages and you'll be rewarded. Like I said earlier, the findings might be dated - but there are elements of it that ring true even today. Now if only an updated study could be conducted.
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