Penang, established as a British colonial port in 1786, attracted a multiethnic population. Each community brought its own unique culture and literary tradition. This article explains some of the shared literary heritage among the Peranakan Chinese in the Penang region, including inherited stories from ancient China. The article also traces how in Penang, the Peranakan Chinese 'literature' evolved as the community was developing: first as a British colony and later, as a state in independent Malaysia. Literature not only mirrored socio-economic change, as new forms of literary expression evolved, but was an essential ingredient in the formation of a unique identity, specific to that place. Here this is referred to as 'place-based identity'.
The Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS) and its predecessors (The Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society) have maintained continuous publication since 1878 except for the years of the Second World War. Originally produced by colonial administrators for an almost entirely expatriate readership, JMBRAS has evolved into the leading peer-reviewed academic journal dealing with history, culture and society in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The journal, which appears twice yearly, serves an extensive local readership as well as a wide range of libraries throughout the world. Current issues are available electronically to academic libraries through Project MUSE, and older issues through JSTOR.
The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, publisher of the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, traces its origins to the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, founded in Singapore in 1877. With approximately 850 individual and institutional members in Malaysia and worldwide, the Society is the leading scholarly organization studying the history and culture of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. In addition to the journal, which appears twice annually, the Society publishes scholarly monographs and re-prints old and out-of-print materials relating to the Malaysian region. The Society also organizes talks and occasional visits for members.
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