Reminiscences Of The Straits Settlements Through Postcards

By the late 19th century, Penang had become a thriving port trading in rubber, spices and tin. Its prosperity attracted immigrants from around the world and the island was a rich melting pot of Chinese, Indians, Malays, Europeans and many other peoples. The postcards reproduced in this book are drawn from the huge collection of Penang-born Professor Cheah Jin Seng, the author of Singapore: 500 Early Postcards, Malaya: 500 Early Postcards, Perak: 300 Early Postcards and Selangor: 300 Early Postcards.This title in the Early Postcards series will present a diverse array of picture postcards of Penang -- including of its capital George Town, now a World Heritage site -- from the 1890s to the 1970s.

A compelling history of British imperial culture, showing how it was adopted and subverted by colonial subjects around the world As the British Empire expanded across the globe, it exported more than troops and goods. In every colony, imperial delegates dispersed British cultural forms. Facilitated by the rapid growth of print, photography, film, and radio, imperialists imagined this new global culture would cement the unity of the empire. But this remarkably wide-ranging spread of ideas had unintended and surprising results. In this groundbreaking history, John M. MacKenzie examines the importance of culture in British imperialism. MacKenzie describes how colonized peoples were quick to observe British culture--and adapted elements to their own ends, subverting British expectations and eventually beating them at their own game. As indigenous communities integrated their own cultures with the British imports, the empire itself was increasingly undermined. From the extraordinary spread of cricket and horse racing to statues and ceremonies, MacKenzie presents an engaging imperial history--one with profound implications for global culture in the present day.

Through a broad range of case studies spanning from imperial monuments to rural residences, Malayan Classicism puts forward a fundamentally new understanding of classical architecture in the Asian colonial context. Across Malaysia and Singapore, thousands of historic buildings are richly ornamented with motifs drawn from Ancient Greece and Rome - as plump volutes, lush acanthus leaves, and neat rows of dentils decorate mosques, palaces, government buildings and innumerable terraced shophouses. These classical details jostle with ideas drawn from other architectural traditions from across Asia in a style that is unique to the region. Presenting the first comprehensive account of what was, prior to World War II, Malaya's most widespread architectural style, Malayan Classicism explores how the classical architecture of the British Empire was transmitted, translated, and transformed in the hands of local builders and architects. Addressing a critical gap in the scholarship, this book charts the metamorphosis of an imperial language of power into a local vernacular style, and provides a new way of reading classical architecture in a post-colonial context that will be applicable throughout the Global South.

Critically examines the agency and history of long-silenced coolie women and their role in colonial economy and transnational movements.

Based on a selection from the author's private collection, Malaya 500 Early Postcards offers a rare and comprehensive glimpse into the changing landscapes, townscapes and lifestyles of Malaya, from the late 19th century to 1963, when it was renamed Malays

Presenting for the first time through the illustrations of 500 postcards from the author's private collection, this book offers a rare and comprehensive glimpse into the changing landscapes and lifestyles of Singapore's past, right up to the Second World