English Archives - Progresif

Cultivating the Functioning Intelligentsia in Society

We face many challenges such as inequality, issues of identity, problems with the narrative of history, the role of Muslims and Islam in a multiracial society, the rise of Islamophobia, the privileges of dominance, and a host of other challenges – some of which seem absent from popular media and public discussion. These issues need to be discussed, debated and exposed to a wider audience. Only a functioning group of intellectuals can do this. If not, we will forever be inundated by shallow, populistic and phobic interpretations of these issues.

Ideology and the caricature of culture

Like colonial scholarship, Malay Studies of the independent and nationalistic era can be said to have produced a wealth of materials in terms of bulk. It can be said, however, in the critical vein, that it suffers from its own myopia by way of perspectives and creative insights. For example, while colonial Malay Studies sees the Dark Ages in the Malay past, a particular brand of ‘nationalistic’ Malay Studies sees only grandeur and perfection

The politics of book banning in Malaysia

Many argue that this is the idiocy of bureaucrats or simply the problem of bureaucratisation and institutionalisation of religion. Partly, it may be true. But what if the answer lies in the design itself? What if the system is working exactly as intended?