[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":517},["ShallowReactive",2],{"professor-essay-education-and-education-research-in-sg100-a-vision-from-malay-studies":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"description":6,"extension":7,"floatImageLeft":8,"floatImageRight":8,"heroImage":8,"images":8,"isAd":9,"meta":10,"multipleImages":8,"objectPosition":8,"ogDescription":8,"ogTitle":8,"order":8,"stem":319,"tagName":8,"__hash__":320,"body":321,"_path":11},"professorEssays/professor-essays/education-and-education-research-in-sg100-a-vision-from-malay-studies.md","Education and Education Research in SG100: A Vision from Malay Studies","2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Singapore (SG60). Rather than only looking back with pride to the many successes that Singapore and its citizens were able to achieve and to enjoy through these six decades, the Government of Singapore is also focusing on the challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead in the next decades, under the name of “SG100” (Singapore 100).","md",null,false,{"path":11,"body":12},"/professor-essays/education-and-education-research-in-sg100-a-vision-from-malay-studies",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":316},"minimark",[15],[16,17,19,161],"article-layout",{":title":18},"title",[20,21,23,34,41,55,60,63,66,75,86,91,97,102,109,114,135,146,149],"template",{"v-slot:content":22},"",[24,25,28],"article-heading",{":level":26,":text-align":27},"1","center",[29,30,31],"p",{},[32,33],"binding",{"value":18},[24,35,38],{":level":36,":text-align":37},"2","left",[29,39,40],{},"Introduction",[29,42,43,44,48,49,51,52,54],{},"2025 marks the 60",[45,46,47],"sup",{},"th"," anniversary of the Republic of Singapore (SG60). Rather than only looking back with pride to the many successes that Singapore and its citizens were able to achieve and to enjoy through these six decades, the Government of Singapore is also focusing on the challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead in the next decades, under the name of “SG100” (Singapore 100).",[45,50,26],{},"  In this context, education and education research are considered vital for further improving the social and economic well-being of the people of Singapore. All relevant fields of study are therefore encouraged to contribute to the current joint work of anticipation and preparation. This also includes Malay Studies",[45,53,36],{},". In the following, I would like to offer a few ideas for a vision for that purpose.",[24,56,57],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,58,59],{},"SG100: Singapore as gateway to Asia or to the world?",[29,61,62],{},"The first question that Malay Studies in Singapore as well as other relevant fields of studies could ask concerns the broader social, political, and economic vision of Singapore for “SG100”. Does Singapore want to be the gateway to Southeast Asia, to Asia, or to the world? This question draws some lessons from the history of Singapore as a centrally located hub for the trade between East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe. From the beginning, Singapore was situated right at the nexus of trade routes and production chains. Due to visionary, and at the same time pragmatic and efficient leadership, independent Singapore was able to take advantage of many of the opportunities of the increasingly globalizing world of the last decades. The economic and social well-being of the current generation of Singaporeans is due to this.",[29,64,65],{},"If this general trend of an ever-increasing process of globalization is to be expected to continue or even accelerate over the next decades until “SG100”, then the strategic answer for Singapore would be to remain invested in the global production chains, if possible, as high up as possible, to access greater economic benefits. If, however, a concentration on a regional focus was selected, e.g., under the heading “Singapore: Gateway to Southeast Asia or to (East) Asia”, many economic opportunities will be missed.",[29,67,68,69,71,72,74],{},"Consequently, SG100 would probably benefit the most from a global vision, enabling the country to offer solutions for businesses that are active “out of area”, i.e. outside of historically grown comfort zones. As the economies of Central and South America, of Africa, the Middle East and Turkey, of Central and South Asia, and of course also of East and Southeast Asia are expected to grow faster than the economic powers of the 19",[45,70,47],{}," and 20",[45,73,47],{}," centuries, such as certain European countries or the United States, many future opportunities will lie in the fast-developing markets.",[29,76,77,78,81,82,85],{},"Education and education research would therefore have to prepare the next generation of citizens to broaden their global vision.",[45,79,80],{},"3"," Cultural openness, cosmopolitanism, and linguistic competencies might have to be adapted to the emerging world economy of the future. For Higher Education this could also mean an investment in interdisciplinary Area Studies of world regions that are economically increasingly interesting. At the school level, this could lead to even more juvenile literature on other world regions and cultures, including via the mother tongues taught in Singapore. For instance, in the moment, there are already children and youth books about other countries and cultures available in Malay language, via the National Library Board of Singapore.",[45,83,84],{},"4"," This approach could be widened in the future, and a re-evaluation of school curricula (and hence also teacher training at NIE) in that light might become a recurrent task towards SG 100. As lifelong learning is a function not only of schools and universities but also of responsible mass media and other elements of public discourse, a stronger focus on the Malay history of cosmopolitanism, rationality, and modernity might be worth a consideration.",[24,87,88],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,89,90],{},"Mother tongue culture as a source of resilience",[29,92,93,94],{},"An important lesson from the past waves of globalization is that despite the overall trend of increasing globalization, there were also numerous economic and political crises, both on a regional and a global scale. Political unrest in a neighboring country, a regional crisis such as the Asia Crisis in 1998/9, or global challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic required much resilience from the concerned societies, as well as prudent reactions by political leaders. In this context, the so-called “mother tongues” of Singapore, namely Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, along with English, can play an important role as a repository for social and cultural resilience. In this context, it is important to realize that more than just the language, it is texts and stories, as well as rituals, music, architecture, the arts, and culinary culture, that can serve as psychological anchors in times of crisis. Thus, “mother tongue studies”, including Malay Studies, play a great role in strengthening these social and psychological tools of support and wisdom. In the case of Malay Studies, this would include continuing a canon of literary works and historical points of reference. In this regard, it could be also valuable to increase the number of Malay language publication for elderly people, as already exemplified by several publications including those by the Singapore Hospice Council.",[45,95,96],{},"5",[24,98,99],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,100,101],{},"Mother tongue culture in the digital world",[29,103,104,105,108],{},"The widespread use of social media among the youth of Singapore, including the Malays, opens a wide array of questions and tasks for contemporary Malay Studies. This includes teaching about the responsible use of social media and goes all the way to developing new skills to localize social media with content and applications. As of 2025, the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society and business opportunities is a fast-developing area, which is also being contested between the current economic superpowers, America and China. Malay Studies should follow the trends of AI closely and keep up with the related opportunities. Some of the Digital Humanities projects in Malay Studies of the last two decades can possibly be extended and developed further. A practical example is the international Malay Concordance Project (MCP) hosted by the Australian National University",[45,106,107],{},"6"," that features digital access to over 5.8 million words from hundreds of historical Malay texts from c. 1300 to the mid-1950s. This immense database could be explored with the help of AI in order to address questions such as information about historical natural catastrophes (e.g. tsunamis or volcano eruptions) as documented in datable texts, or knowledge from ethnobotany for medical and pharmaceutical purposes. Here, Malay Studies could engage with other academic fields, beyond traditional disciplinary limits and boundaries.",[24,110,111],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,112,113],{},"Towards SG100: about the agency in Malay Studies",[29,115,116,117,121,122,124,125,127,128,131,132],{},"During the first 60 years of the Republic of Singapore, decolonizing Malay Studies has been an important agenda for many scholars, including Syed Hussein Alatas (1928-2007) and his seminal book ",[118,119,120],"em",{},"The Myth of the Lazy Native"," (1977). In this impactful contribution to the discourse on Orientalism, he describes how during the 19",[45,123,47],{}," and early 20",[45,126,47],{}," centuries, Dutch, British, and American colonial authors constructed the myth of unindustrial, lazy Malays, Filipinos, and Javanese. The political aim of this denigrating cliché was to legitimize colonial exploitation and dominance. As part of the colonial system of “divide and rule,” the majority of the so-called “natives” were put into social and economic niches that would exclude them from much knowledge and agency in modern matters.",[45,129,130],{},"7"," Syed Hussein Alatas (1996) and others from his period therefore argued for “New Malays” who would be thoroughly modern and cosmopolitan in their cultural horizons. The intellectual discourse about this question was widespread in the Malay World at large in the 1970s and 1980s and has informed many decision-makers responsible for education and education research since then.",[45,133,134],{},"8",[29,136,137,138,141,142,145],{},"Today, at SG60, the topic is still relevant, especially when thinking about education and education research, including in Malay Studies, for SG100.",[45,139,140],{},"9"," In this context, Syed Farid Alatas, the son of Syed Hussein Alatas, has been contributing much to the discussion through numerous publications and other activities.",[45,143,144],{},"10"," The lasting challenge for the foreseeable future is accordingly the impact of the colonial distribution of social, economic, and cultural roles in Southeast Asia, including in Singapore, as well as stereotypical images of ethnic communities created during the colonial period. In this context, further decolonizing Malay Studies could also contribute to greater social cohesion in Singapore.",[29,147,148],{},"As of SG60, the economic interest of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in Southeast Asia is significantly smaller than before the political independence of their former colonies in Southeast Asia. In consequence, the academic interest in Malay Studies in the UK and the Netherlands has also experienced a steady decline. Their former academic hegemony in Malay Studies is therefore long history. Instead, the independent countries of Southeast Asia have all invested heavily in education and education research and have all long become the hegemonic agenda-setters in Southeast Asian Studies, including Malay Studies, reflecting national interests and perspectives. In comparison, Malay Studies in today’s export-oriented countries with an international political and academic vision, such as the United States, China, Japan, France, the UK, the Netherlands, or Germany, or a political interest in Southeast Asia, such as Australia, do exist in a position of comparative discursive marginality. Towards SG100, if the positive economic development of the countries of Southeast Asia continues, this hegemony-periphery relationship in the production of knowledge between hegemonic Southeast Asia and the rest of the world probably will be further enhanced.",[150,151,152],"article-box-content",{},[29,153,154,155,160],{},"To learn more about Professor Arndt Graf, ",[156,157,159],"a",{"href":158},"/professorships-summit/meet-the-distinguished-professors/professor-arndt-graf","click here",".",[20,162,163,241,247,254,260,267,274,287,298,309],{"v-slot:citation":22},[29,164,165,167,168,174,175,178,180,181,183,185,186,188,190,191,195,196,198,200,201,160,204,206,208,209,195,213,215,217,218,220,222,223,227,228,230,232,233,235,237,238,227],{},[45,166,26],{}," Cf. also the explanation on the website of the SG100 Foundation (",[156,169,170],{"href":170,"rel":171,"target":173},"https://www.sg100foundation.com/",[172],"nofollow","_blank",", accessed 19 September 2025).",[176,177],"br",{},[45,179,36],{}," For the purpose of this paper, I use the term “Malay Studies” in a broad, interdisciplinary sense that includes various humanities and social science perspectives concerned with ethnic Malays.",[176,182],{},[45,184,80],{}," For further reading on “Education in the Global City” cf. also the contributions in Koh/Chong, eds. (2016).",[176,187],{},[45,189,84],{}," Cf. ",[156,192,193],{"href":193,"rel":194,"target":173},"https://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/",[172],", accessed 19 September 2025.",[176,197],{},[45,199,96],{}," An example is the book by BLKJ (2019): ",[118,202,203],{},"Dr. Bidadari Pelindung: diilhamkan daripada kisah benar tentang kehidupan dan pemergian yang bermaruah",[176,205],{},[45,207,107],{}," ",[156,210,211],{"href":211,"rel":212,"target":173},"https://mcp.anu.edu.au/",[172],[176,214],{},[45,216,130],{}," For the development of Malay schools in Singapore cf. Kamsiah Abdullah (2007).",[176,219],{},[45,221,134],{}," In the field of Malay literature, the emphasis on modern Malay culture has been a core concern at least since the literary group “Asas 50” that was founded in 1950. One main proponent of a modern Malay attitude was Muhammad Ariff Ahmad (also called MAS) via numerous publications. Cf. the biographical information on MAS provided by the National Library Board of Singapore, ",[156,224,225],{"href":225,"rel":226,"target":173},"https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=87b114a7-b6c2-44d7-8116-3f7e9ccd6496",[172],", accessed 19 Sept. 2025.",[176,229],{},[45,231,140],{}," Cf. e.g. Azhar Ibrahim (2014).",[176,234],{},[45,236,144],{}," Cf. Among others Syed Farid Alatas (2006) and Syed Farid Alatas, ed. (2009). In the field of literature, one main proponent of a modern Malay attitude was Muhammad Ariff Ahmad (also called MAS) via numerous publications. Cf. the biographical information on MAS provided by the National Library Board of Singapore, ",[156,239,225],{"href":225,"rel":240,"target":173},[172],[29,242,243],{},[244,245,246],"strong",{},"References",[29,248,249,250,253],{},"Azhar Ibrahim. 2014. ",[118,251,252],{},"Narrating presence. Awakening from cultural amnesia",". Singapore: The Malay Heritage Foundation (Singapore Malays: Our Heritage and Legacy Series).",[29,255,256,257,259],{},"BLKJ. 2019. ",[118,258,203],{},". Singapore: Singapore Hospice Council.",[29,261,262,263,266],{},"Kamsiah Abdullah. 2007. ",[118,264,265],{},"Benih budiman. Suatu analisis sosio-sejarah persekolahan Melayu di Singapura",". Tanjong Malim, Perak: Penerbit Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.",[29,268,269,270,273],{},"Koh, Aaron; Terence Chong, eds. 2016. ",[118,271,272],{},"Education in the Global City. The manufacturing of education in Singapore",". Abingdon and New York: Routledge.",[29,275,276,277,286],{},"Syed Hussein Alatas. 1977. ",[118,278,279,280,282,283,285],{},"The myth of the Lazy Native: a study of the image of the Malays, Filipinos and Javanese from the 16",[45,281,47],{}," to the 20",[45,284,47],{}," century and its function in the ideology of Colonial Capitalism",". London: Frank Cass & Co.",[29,288,289,290,293,294,195],{},"Syed Hussein Alatas. 1996. ",[118,291,292],{},"The New Malay: his role and future",". Singapore: Association of Muslim Professionals (Occasional Paper Series, No. 2-96), available at ",[156,295,296],{"href":296,"rel":297,"target":173},"https://rima.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The-New-Malay-His-Role-and-Future.pdf",[172],[29,299,300,301,304,305,308],{},"Syed Farid Alatas. 2006. ",[118,302,303],{},"Alternative discourses in Asian social science: responses to Eurocentrism",". New Delhi: Sage (2",[45,306,307],{},"nd"," ed. 2008).",[29,310,311,312,315],{},"Syed Farid Alatas, ed. 2009. ",[118,313,314],{},"Muslim reform in Southeast Asia: perspectives from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore",". Singapore: Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura.",{"title":22,"searchDepth":317,"depth":317,"links":318},2,[],"professor-essays/education-and-education-research-in-sg100-a-vision-from-malay-studies","jnfEw8qhvmt66QiltrZ27CQvk69_DSs_jv3x6pd98tk",{"type":13,"value":322,"toc":515},[323],[16,324,325,411],{":title":18},[20,326,327,333,337,345,349,351,353,359,365,369,373,377,381,385,397,403,405],{"v-slot:content":22},[24,328,329],{":level":26,":text-align":27},[29,330,331],{},[32,332],{"value":18},[24,334,335],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,336,40],{},[29,338,43,339,48,341,51,343,54],{},[45,340,47],{},[45,342,26],{},[45,344,36],{},[24,346,347],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,348,59],{},[29,350,62],{},[29,352,65],{},[29,354,68,355,71,357,74],{},[45,356,47],{},[45,358,47],{},[29,360,77,361,81,363,85],{},[45,362,80],{},[45,364,84],{},[24,366,367],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,368,90],{},[29,370,93,371],{},[45,372,96],{},[24,374,375],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,376,101],{},[29,378,104,379,108],{},[45,380,107],{},[24,382,383],{":level":36,":text-align":37},[29,384,113],{},[29,386,116,387,121,389,124,391,127,393,131,395],{},[118,388,120],{},[45,390,47],{},[45,392,47],{},[45,394,130],{},[45,396,134],{},[29,398,137,399,141,401,145],{},[45,400,140],{},[45,402,144],{},[29,404,148],{},[150,406,407],{},[29,408,154,409,160],{},[156,410,159],{"href":158},[20,412,413,470,474,478,482,486,490,498,505,511],{"v-slot:citation":22},[29,414,415,167,417,174,420,422,180,424,426,185,428,430,190,432,195,435,437,200,439,160,441,443,208,445,195,448,450,217,452,454,222,456,227,459,461,232,463,465,237,467,227],{},[45,416,26],{},[156,418,170],{"href":170,"rel":419,"target":173},[172],[176,421],{},[45,423,36],{},[176,425],{},[45,427,80],{},[176,429],{},[45,431,84],{},[156,433,193],{"href":193,"rel":434,"target":173},[172],[176,436],{},[45,438,96],{},[118,440,203],{},[176,442],{},[45,444,107],{},[156,446,211],{"href":211,"rel":447,"target":173},[172],[176,449],{},[45,451,130],{},[176,453],{},[45,455,134],{},[156,457,225],{"href":225,"rel":458,"target":173},[172],[176,460],{},[45,462,140],{},[176,464],{},[45,466,144],{},[156,468,225],{"href":225,"rel":469,"target":173},[172],[29,471,472],{},[244,473,246],{},[29,475,249,476,253],{},[118,477,252],{},[29,479,256,480,259],{},[118,481,203],{},[29,483,262,484,266],{},[118,485,265],{},[29,487,269,488,273],{},[118,489,272],{},[29,491,276,492,286],{},[118,493,279,494,282,496,285],{},[45,495,47],{},[45,497,47],{},[29,499,289,500,293,502,195],{},[118,501,292],{},[156,503,296],{"href":296,"rel":504,"target":173},[172],[29,506,300,507,304,509,308],{},[118,508,303],{},[45,510,307],{},[29,512,311,513,315],{},[118,514,314],{},{"title":22,"searchDepth":317,"depth":317,"links":516},[],1776161175412]