Kesangsian Terhadap Agama: Memetakan Wacana-Wacana Barat yang Melingkari “Kemodenan” Abdullah Munsyi Scepticism towards Religion: Mapping Western Discourses that Surround Abdullah Munsyi’s “Modernity”
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Abstract
This article arises from observations of scholarly corpus on Abdullah Munsyi who is often touted as the “Father of Modern Malay Literature”. Several interpretive orientations become evident from the corpus extant particularly as they pertain to the recognition of Abdullah Munsyi’s “modernity”, and the role played by the West in this recognition. Alongside these orientations are the polemics that surround Abdullah Munsyi’s suitability of the title. Given these interpretive orientations, the article argues that the history of Western intellectual development played a significant role in understanding Abdullah Munsyi’s position in the history of Malay literature and culture. This article thus strives to map Western discourses on Abdullah Munsyi’s “modernity”, as well as identify the key idea that informs the discourses. The article has cogently mapped Secularism and Modernism as discourses that first emerged in the West, and which have continued to surround debates on Abdullah Munsyi’s “modernity” till this day. Such mapping allows for identification of the key idea that underpins the discourses, namely scepticism towards religions especially the religious authority that endows the title “Father of Modern Malay Literature” to Abdullah Munsyi.
Makalah ini bertitik tolak daripada pengamatan awal terhadap korpus kesarjanaan tentang Abdullah Munsyi, seorang tokoh yang diberikan gelaran “Bapa Kesusasteraan Melayu Moden”. Pengamatan ini menyerlahkan beberapa kecenderungan dalam kajian-kajian ilmiah sedia ada. Antara kecenderungan tersebut ialah perakuan terhadap “kemodenan” Abdullah Munsyi serta peranan Barat dalam soal kemodenan beliau. Selain itu ialah polemik tentang kewajaran Abdullah Munsyi menerima gelaran tersebut. Dalam konteks kecenderungan korpus yang sedemikian, makalah ini menghujahkan bahawa sejarah serta perkembangan intelektual di Barat memainkan peranan yang signifikan dalam usaha memahami kedudukan Abdullah Munsyi dalam sejarah dan kebudayaan Melayu. Justeru, makalah ini bertujuan untuk memetakan wacana-wacana Barat yang melingkari soal “kemodenan” Abdullah Munsyi, dan seterusnya mengenal pasti idea utama yang menyatukan wacana-wacana tersebut. Makalah ini berhasil dalam memetakan Sekularisme dan Modenisme sebagai wacana-wacana yang terlebih dahulu timbul di Barat, yang kemudiannya melingkari perbahasan tentang “kemodenan” Abdullah Munsyi. Pemetaan ini turut memungkinkan pengenalpastian idea utama yang menunjangi kedua-dua wacana tersebut, iaitu kesangsian terhadap agama terutamanya autoriti keagamaan yang melingkari gelaran “Bapa Kesusasteraan Melayu Moden” kepada Abdullah Munsyi.
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