マレーシアにおける社会科学の形成と展開 : 「プルーラル」概念史

Abstract

This essay clarifies the post-colonial character of Malaysian social sciences by analyzingtheir historical formation from the viewpoint of the concept "plural." It argues thatconcepts such as "plural society, " "multiculturalism, " and "cultural pluralism, " which oftenemerge in the analysis of Malayan and Malaysian society, are contained within the concept"plural." This concept was produced during the development of Area Studies, whichcentered on the United States after World War II. It was relevant to the problems ofnational integration and modernization that were faced by most newly independent nationstates. In this regard, "plural" was firstly interpreted as a lack of national integration andas an obstacle to modernization. In the 1980s, however, some Malaysian scholars tried torevise the concept under the rubric of Ethnic Studies. They proposed the possibility ofintegration and modernization while maintaining the "plural" situation. In the 1990s, a newconception of "plural" emerged that undermines and contaminates boundaries. It has thepossibility of breaking out of the national framework, although scholars still use theconcept within the framework of Malaysia. This essay shows that the concept of "plural"has varied with time, as well as with the individual scholar. In this regard, the formationof the social sciences in Malaysia is under negotiation between different ideas of "plural"and what it means for national integration and modernization.