Ethnicity

Ethnicity (Culture)
- not biological
- fluid
- how we identify with other groups
Race
-

(Biology)
biological determinism
physically distinct type of person
latches itself to cultural stereotypes

How race emerge in SEA?

- The making of race in colonial Malaya: Political economy and
racial ideology
o Race relations as a byproduct of British colonialism in
Peninsular Malaysia
o Before: Inter-ethnic relations among Asian populations
marked by cultural stereotypes.
After: Direct colonial rule brought European racial theory
in and constructed a social and economic order
structured by race
Violence and conflicts
- usually caused by ethnic groups who feel marginalized in the
eyes of the nation
o Eg. Moro Muslims in Mindanao, Philippines
Malays in South Thailand
CASE STUDY: Buddhist Thais of Kelantan
- Thai-Malay relationship
o Economically ethnic chinese from cities/towns from
different parts of Malaysia visit thai temples for magic
and political support. Fundings raised by Malaysian
Chinese Association (MCA) to further thai culture which
has powerful political undercurrents
o Wat Machimmarams Buddha in Kelantan, Malaysia
o Traditional Kelantanese Chinese Meal
o Historically strong Eg. Appointment of the chief
Buddhist monk lies in the hands of the sultan
o Currently uncertain though malay-based political
parties continue to encounter Thais to seek votes during
elections and malays seeking Thai magicians for special
services.
- Thais and Thailand Lost sheeps
o Thailands nationalism has historically been constructed
along the lines of ethnicity and Buddhism. What about
politically Malaysians who are ethnically Thai and
Buddhist?

o Secret policies of land settlements in Narathiwat for

Buddhist Thais in Kelantan.
CASE STUDY: Cham of Vietnam
Background:
- Austronesian speakers
- Cultural frontier with Vietnamese, ethnic frontier with
Khmer (Cambodia)
-

Cham and Vietnam

o major ethnic group in Vietnam
o problems with poverty and social division
Cham and Malaysia
o Many Cham escaped to Malaysia
o Malaysian authorities made them recite the Shahada to
distinguish the Cham Malays from other groups
o Cham accepted into Malaysia were given schooling,
employment and identity as Malaysians

Fashion
Fashion
- Defines who we are
- Integral to the person yet filled with meanings we may/may
not realize
- What we wear, how we wear, when we wear, etc are
contextual it is conditioned by issues of gender, power,
politics, history, religion, social class, ethnicity, etc.
- Is also about what we dont wear, eg. Issues surrounding
nudity.
- Not just about clothes/jewelry, hair cuts, tattoos, etc. It is also
about who produces fashion and what are the issues involved
in this production eg. Migration and exploitation.
Fashion as a display of identity
- gendered identity -> clearest way. Yet can be interpreted in
different ways. Eg. Colonial sources noted that it was difficult
to distinguish men from women in old Siam. But there was no
such problem for the Siamese.
CASE STUDY: V-neck t-shirt issue in Malaysia
- symptom of homosexuality
- identifiable gay and lesbian traits for schools and concerned
parents by Malaysian Education Officials
o gay men: muscular body, V-neck, sleeveless clothes
o tight and light-coloured clothing
o carry big handbags similar to those used by women
Islamic Grab for women (in Malaysia and Indonesia)
- reasons for donning veil vary from religiosity to peer pressure
to an increasing sense of modern global person
[Gender,Religion,Fashion]
- Rather than being a sign of subservience and control, veiling
is a marker of feminine agency, being modern and
empowerment.
- Malaysian government frowns upon full face veiling. Symbols
of non-official sanctioning of islam.
What you wear is a statement of power
- Ancient SEA -> sumptuary laws -> what one could wear is
dependent on ones position in the society. Eg. Certain Batik
patterns were to be worn only by members of Javanese kingly
houses. Eg. Kawung design, tying the cloth in the dodot form.

Certain forms of textile were/still considered sacred. Eg.

Geringsing cloths of Bali

Colour
- Yellow -> colour of royalty in Malaysia
- powerful indicator of political and royal inclinations. Eg. In
Thailand, Red vs Yellow vs Pink as signs of political adherence.

Fashion: What you dont wear

CASE STUDY: Penang Nude Sportsgame 2014
- 5 individuals, 1 each from Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and
2 from Myanmar arrested for staging what they call the
penang nude sportsgame
-

Anti-pornography laws in Indonesia -> breast as pornographic

and hence have to be hidden -> Bare-breasted women and
western colonial imagination of the exotic and sexualized east
indies

study of fashion is not just about what we wear or what we

dont wear. It is also about when we wear them and when we
take them off. Such decisions will lead to greater insights into
larger issues such as religion, gender, ethnicity, politics, etc.

The Dark Side of Sweatshops

- Sites of production where the conditions under which
employees perform their work are desirable and may even be
dangerous -> exploitative salaries, hazardous infrastructures,
unreasonably long hours
- Eg. Nike, Adidas, Reebok
- Due to capitalism -> wealth accumulation, profit driven
- Profit = Revenue Cost
- Multi-National Corporations: looking for cheap labour. States
and Government: looking for job creation. Local Corporations:
looking for manufacturing contracts/opportunities ->
sweatshops
- Workers: In the beginning: locals. Subsequently: transnational
migrants as wages of locals will increase (uneven
development). Preference of single women over men ->
women more docile and do not have fussy commitments such
as child rearing