The University Socialist Club and the Contest for Malaya
by Loh, Kah Seng; Liao, Edgar; Lim, Cheng Tju; Seng, Guo-QuanFormat: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2012-09-15
Publisher(s): Amsterdam Univ Pr
Other versions by this Author
List Price: $79.95
Rent Textbook
Select for Price
New Textbook
We're Sorry
Sold Out
Used Textbook
We're Sorry
Sold Out
eTextbook
We're Sorry
Not Available
How Marketplace Works:
- This item is offered by an independent seller and not shipped from our warehouse
- Item details like edition and cover design may differ from our description; see seller's comments before ordering.
- Sellers much confirm and ship within two business days; otherwise, the order will be cancelled and refunded.
- Marketplace purchases cannot be returned to eCampus.com. Contact the seller directly for inquiries; if no response within two days, contact customer service.
- Additional shipping costs apply to Marketplace purchases. Review shipping costs at checkout.
Summary
Using a wealth of material including interviews, official documents, and student writings, the authors recount the rise of newly independent states in postwar Malaya and Singapore through the engagements of a left-wing group of university student activists. The University Socialist Club and the Contest for Malayabrings to life various contemporary movements, including democratic, Marxist, socialist, ethnicity-based groups which seek to influence postcolonial Malaya, as well as their fluid relationships with one another, at a time when allies became enemies, and vice versa. An original and vital study, this volume delves into the complex mental worlds and historical milieu of political and student activism.
Author Biography
Kah Seng Loh is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies of Kyoto University. Edgar Liao is a tutor at the Department of History of the National University of Singapore. Cheng Tju Lim is an educator in Singapore. Guo-Quan Seng is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Chicago.
Table of Contents
| Acknowledgments | p. 11 |
| List of Photographs | p. 15 |
| Abbreviations | p. 17 |
| The Socialist Club and the Modernity Project | p. 19 |
| A Post-war Background | p. 22 |
| The Tangled Strands of Modernity | p. 25 |
| Identities of the Socialist Club | p. 28 |
| Contestations over Socialism, Student Activism and Identity | p. 31 |
| Curtailment, Coldstore and the Cold War | p. 33 |
| Convergences of Mobilisation and the Tensions Within | p. 34 |
| Overview of the Book | p. 38 |
| Awake in the Bowl of Night | p. 41 |
| Between the Emergency and Orderly Decolonisation | p. 42 |
| A Mixed Political Club | p. 47 |
| Early Contemplation, Criticism and Misfires | p. 54 |
| A New Tone | p. 57 |
| The Fajar Trial | p. 61 |
| "Aggression in Asia" and the "513 Incident" | p. 61 |
| The Fajar 8, Pritt and Fund Raising | p. 64 |
| The First Shots | p. 68 |
| First Day | p. 72 |
| Second Day | p. 73 |
| Third Day - Game, Set, Match | p. 74 |
| A Breaking Moment for Malaya | p. 77 |
| Visionary of the Nation, Voice of Stifled Malayans | p. 81 |
| "We speak for many stifled Malayans" | p. 82 |
| Organise and Mobilise | p. 85 |
| The Lim Yew Hock Purges | p. 95 |
| The 1959 National Language Seminar | p. 98 |
| A Beacon of Light on the Campus and Beyond | p. 105 |
| Convergences with the Students' Union and International Student Fraternity | p. 106 |
| The Rise and Fall of the Pan-Malayan Students' Federation | p. 112 |
| Joint Activities, Joint Action | p. 123 |
| Frankly Partisan in the Struggle for Student Leadership | p. 127 |
| The Discursive Battle over "Student Apathy" | p. 128 |
| Campus Opponents, Critics and Detractors | p. 131 |
| Contesting Socialism, Critiquing Fajar | p. 136 |
| Storms in the Union over Partisanship | p. 140 |
| "Patrons, Opportunists, Clowns and Clots": The Rise of Rivals | p. 144 |
| The Shadow over the Club | p. 153 |
| The Nodes and Chains of the Communist Discourse | p. 154 |
| The Abdullah Majid Node and Post-Fajar Trial Anxieties | p. 158 |
| The Linda Chen Node and Spotlight on the PMSF | p. 159 |
| The John Eber Node and the London Connection | p. 162 |
| The Cold War Information Order | p. 164 |
| Resisting Malaysia, Swansong for Malaya | p. 167 |
| Singapore Independence: A Bold Rationalist Thesis | p. 170 |
| The 1961 "Basis for Merger" Forum and the Parting of Ways | p. 175 |
| Theorising National Unity, Interrogating Communalism | p. 181 |
| Mobilising Principles, Battling the Leviathan | p. 184 |
| Long Night after Coldstore | p. 191 |
| The Geopolitics of Greater Malaysia and Operation Coldstore | p. 193 |
| After the Purges: Siaran Kelab Sosialis | p. 200 |
| The 1966 Seminar on Communalism and National Unity | p. 204 |
| In Defence of University Autonomy and Student Rights | p. 209 |
| The Sanctity of the University and the Student | p. 210 |
| "A Seething Cauldron": The 1963-1966 Pro-University Autonomy Movement | p. 216 |
| Raging against the Dying of the Light, 1967-1971 | p. 226 |
| Entwined Memories and Myths | p. 233 |
| Misspent Youth and the Fajar Boys | p. 235 |
| Countermemories and Staking Claims | p. 243 |
| The Ghosts and Myths of History | p. 248 |
| Conclusion: Modernity in Singapore and Malaya Reconsidered | |
| The University Socialists: Biographical Sketches | p. 265 |
| Timeline of Events | p. 281 |
| Notes | p. 287 |
| Bibliography | p. 325 |
| Index | p. 337 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
An electronic version of this book is available through VitalSource.
This book is viewable on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and most smartphones.
By purchasing, you will be able to view this book online, as well as download it, for the chosen number of days.
Digital License
You are licensing a digital product for a set duration. Durations are set forth in the product description, with "Lifetime" typically meaning five (5) years of online access and permanent download to a supported device. All licenses are non-transferable.
More details can be found here.
A downloadable version of this book is available through the eCampus Reader or compatible Adobe readers.
Applications are available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Windows Mobile platforms.
Please view the compatibility matrix prior to purchase.