The Myth of the Lazy Native: A Study of the Image of the Malays, Filipinos and Javanese from the 16th to the 20th Century and Its Function in the Ideology of Colonial Capitalism

Description

The Myth of the Lazy Native is Syed Hussein Alatas’ widely acknowledged critique of the colonial construction of Malay, Filipino and Javanese natives from the 16th to the 20th century. Drawing on the work of Karl Mannheim and the sociology of knowledge, Alatas analyses the origins and functions of such myths in the creation and reinforcement of colonial ideology and capitalism. The book constitutes in his own words: ‘an effort to correct a one-sided colonial view of the Asian native and his society’ and will be of interest to students and scholars of colonialism, post-colonialism, sociology and South East Asian Studies. Contents Introduction 1 The Image of the Malays until the Time of Raffles 2 The British Image of the Malays in the Late 19th Century and 20th Century 3 The Image of the Filipinos during the 17th to the 19th Centuries 4 The Image of the Javanese from the 18th to the 20th Century 5 The Image of Indolence and the Corresponding Reality 6 Colonial Capitalism and its Attitude Towards Labour in the 19th and Early 20th Century 7 The Indolence of the Filipinos 8 The Colonial Image and the Study of National Character 9 The Malay Concept of Industry and Indolence 10 Mental Revolution and the Indolence of the Malays 11 The Distortion qf Malay Character 12 The Disappearance Qfthe Indigenous Trading Class Conclusion Bibliography Abbreviations Index