Colonial encounters in everyday spaces : British officers and Malay communities in Perak and Kedah 1875-1940s

Abstract

This study examines the socio-cultural dimensions of interactions between British officers and Malay communities in Perak and Kedah from 1875 to the 1940s, with a particular focus on everyday settings within the colonial administration of British Malaya. Through comprehensive analysis, it explores how British officers implemented policies by adapting Malay customs and governance into their colonial administrative frameworks, as exemplified by the Residential system in Perak and the Advisory system in Kedah. These two states serve as case studies to highlight differences in the British colonial approaches and Malay responses, which ranged from cooperation to subtle resistance. This dissertation argues that the British strategically facilitated their colonial administration in British Malaya through the development of the Malay Civil Service (MCS) and the Malay Administrative Service (MAS), thereby accommodating Malay customs in their engagement with local communities and reshaping Malay society in the process. By emphasising everyday interactions and the role of Malay traditions, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of colonial governance and expands the socio-cultural historiography of British Malaya.