The Peasant Robbers of Kedah, 1900-1929: Historical and Folk Perceptions

by Boon Kheng Cheah

In this account of peasant banditry and the Malaysian society in which it flourished, the author draws on colonial, literary, and oral sources to present a social history of rural Kedah, particularly the factors that produced rural crime and the extent to which the bandit heroes symbolized
rural protest.

168 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 1988

About the author

Boon Kheng Cheah was regarded as the foremost scholar on the modern political history of Malaysia as well as a pioneer of the country’s social and oral history. Although prioritizing the political history of a multiethnic, multicultural, and multireligious Malaysia, his spread of specialization ranged from the Japanese occupation, communism to oral history, peasant robbers, women in palace politics, and nation-building. He produced ground-breaking work that will remain as standard texts and authoritative references.