Questioning Modernity in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Singapore.: NUS Press.. 2012.. 257pp, index, paperback. "The impact of the processes of cultural, economic and institutional transformation typically defined as "modernising" have been prevasive in Indonesia and Malaysia over an extended period of time, and have played a central role in shaping the cultures, societies, economics and polities of both countries.

The authors in this book engage critically with the concept of modernity, considering the way it has been used in the analysis of economic, political, and cultural processes, and conclude that while Indonesia and Malaysia can both be described as fully modern, their modernities are not merely derivative of the Western understanding of the word. The place and character of modernity appear differently if a local rather than a Western perspective is adopted, and any analysis of the two countries must reflect an understanding of these differences.

Written by scholars from both "inside" and "outside" the region, the case studies presented this volume highlight the extent to which the intellectual tools, concepts, and theories commonly used in academic research reflect a European/Western modernist imaginary, and show how the process of conducting social research in Asia might be reconceptualized on the basis of a revised understanding of modernity.

In presenting their case that the application of a supposedly 'Western' concept such as modernity to the study of Asia needs to be re-assessed, the authors pose questions relevant to theories of modernity and the study of non-Western societies generally." (Publisher's description). .