These articles have been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication in MJHA, but are pending final changes, are not yet published and may not appear here in their final order of publication until they are assigned to issues. Additionally, titles, authors, abstracts and keywords may change before publication.

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Reaksi Tokoh-Tokoh Nasionalis Terhadap Pendudukan Jepun di Indonesia: Perjuangan Strategi Kerjasama dan Gerakan Bawah Tanah, 1942-1945

Rizal Rahmanto

*Corresponding Author: rizalrahmanto6698@gmail.com

Abstrak

Kedatangan Jepun ke Indonesia telah membawa perubahan terhadap pentadbiran wilayah tersebut. Jepun menjadi satu-satunya bangsa Asia yang berjaya menguasai Indonesia. Pada ketika itu, Jepun berjaya untuk menamatkan pentadbiran kerajaan kolonial Belanda. Kemudian Jepun mengenalkan satu sistem baharu iaitu pemerintahan militer. Keperluan Jepun terhadap perang menjadi punca mereka datang ke Asia Tenggara, termasuk Indonesia. Pada mulanya, Jepun menyerang beberapa wilayah penting sebelum mereka berjaya untuk menguasai Batavia sebagai pusat pentadbiran kolonial Hindia Belanda. Kedatangan Jepun justeru mendapatkan sambutan baik daripada penduduk tempatan kerana mereka menyebut diri sebagai saudara tua, sehingga berjanji akan memberi kemerdekaan penuh kepada bangsa Indonesia. Propaganda ini dilakukan supaya boleh menarik hati masyarakat sehingga mahu membantu Jepun dalam menghadapi Perang Asia Pasifik. Namun tidak semua orang percaya dengan Jepun. Sebahagian menganggap bahawa Jepun hanya memanfaatkan penduduk tempatan untuk kepentingannya sendiri. Berdasarkan analisis terhadap surat khabar dan sumber-sumber sekunder lainnya, kajian ini mendapati dua bentuk reaksi pemimpin tempatan terhadap Jepun. Pertama, beberapa tokoh cuba untuk melakukan strategi kerjasama dengan Jepun serta mengikuti semua perintah dan aturannya. Kedua ada juga sesetengah tokoh yang memilih untuk menentang Jepun melalui gerakan bawah tanah, iaitu aktiviti yang dilakukan secara bersembunyi. Walau bagaimanapun, kedua-dua gerakan ini mempunyai matlamat yang sama iaitu untuk membawa kepada kemerdekaan Indonesia.

Kata kunci: Pendudukan Jepun, Tokoh Nasionalis, Strategi Kerjasama, Gerakan Bawah Tanah, Kemerdekaan Indonesia

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An Overview of the Development of Higher Education in Chongqing from 1891–1937

Dai Shiqi, Tan Chee Seng*

*Corresponding Author: tancs@usm.my

Abstract

This article examines the development of higher education in Chongqing from 1891 to 1937, situating it within the broader context of educational modernization in China’s inland regions. Adopting a chronological and regionally grounded approach, the study divides this process into three stages: the formative stage under the formative stage under the late Qing reforms (1891–1911), the initial expansion during the early Republic of China (1912–1926), and the period of slow institutional consolidation under the Nanjing Nationalist Government (1927–1937). Drawing on local educational records, institutional histories, government documents, and contemporary writings, the article analyzes how modern higher education emerged and evolved in Chongqing under the combined influences of treaty-port opening, intellectual transformation, warlord politics, and regional socioeconomic constraints. The study argues that the trajectory of higher education in Chongqing differed significantly from that of coastal cities and national political centers. While modern institutions such as schools of law and politics pioneered the transition away from the imperial examination system, higher education in Chongqing remained characterized by limited scale, disciplinary imbalance, and heavy dependence on local political power. At the same time, local elites, educators, and community forces actively adapted national educational policies to regional conditions, promoting institutional diversification in fields such as art, physical education, agriculture, and engineering. By reconstructing this regional case, the article highlights the distinctive path and structural limitations of higher education modernization in China’s interior and contributes to a more differentiated understanding of modern Chinese educational history beyond the coastal-centered narrative.

Keywords: Chongqing; Higher Education; Inland China; Educational Modernization; Republican China

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Reconnoitering a Medieval Archaeological Site in Satghara and the Power of Indigenous Practices to Transform Tangible Heritage: Past and Present Behaviors

Muhammad Azam Sameer

*Corresponding Author: mazamsameer23@gmail.com

Abstract

Late medieval archaeology is the study of artifacts, buildings, and landscapes that were created between 1250 and 1500/1600 A.D. The Satghara archaeological site known as "Satghara Tibba" has tangible relics from the late medieval era, which lasted from the 16th to the 19th century AD. These items are linked to other tangible legacy, such as tombs, temples, forts, and vernacular constructions depicting historical lifestyles and events. This research adopts a qualitative and interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeological survey, ethnographic observation, and oral history collection. Field visits to the Satghara site were conducted to document material remains, including architectural features, pottery fragments, and landscape characteristics. According to findings, the archaeological sites as those distinguished by tangible heritage remains of human uses. Contestation, construction of belonging, and memory of these traces are among the components that contribute to a sense of heritage-making, and they are linked to narratives about renegotiations of meaning to tangible heritage. Moreover, the findings show a complicated relationship between the past and present, with the archaeological site both changing as a result of human activity and continuing to have an impact on modern cultural practices. This research also emphasizes the importance of tangible legacy as well as the worth of archaeology, and ethnography which adds to broader discussions on material culture in Satghara and offers valuable perspectives for future archaeological studies.

Keywords: Late medieval archaeology; Anthropology; Ethnography; Tangible Heritage; Satghara  

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Yisa-mabang: Pedagang Rentas Sempadan antara Selatan Yunnan China dan Utara Indocina, 1853–1950

Wu Xunyuan

*Corresponding Author: wuxunyuan0415@gmail.com

Abstrak

Artikel ini memilih sebuah kafilah dari Yunnan, China, iaitu Yisa-mabang sebagai kajian kes bagi meneliti aktiviti perdagangan rentas sempadan antara kawasan selatan Yunnan dan utara Indocina dalam tempoh 1853 hingga 1950. Berasaskan sumber-sumber tempatan serta arkib kolonial Perancis, artikel ini merekonstruksi aktiviti perdagangan Yisa-mabang di kawasan sempadan antara selatan Yunnan dan Indocina Perancis melalui analisis laluan perdagangan, struktur organisasi dan kaedah operasi Yisa-mabang. Sebagai salah satu kumpulan pedagang rakyat di selatan Yunnan, Yisa-mabang dalam proses praktik perdagangan jangka panjang telah membentuk jaringan laluan serantau yang menghubungkan pasaran di selatan Yunnan dengan utara Indocina melalui pembentukan laluan perdagangan yang stabil, mekanisme kerjasama modal yang fleksibel serta pembahagian kerja dalaman yang jelas. Dalam masa yang sama, selepas pembentukan pemerintahan kolonial Perancis, pelaksanaan kawalan sempadan, sistem percukaian dan dasar pengawalan candu telah mengubah persekitaran perdagangan rentas sempadan. Dalam konteks tersebut, Yisa-mabang mengekalkan kesinambungan aktiviti perdagangannya dengan menyesuaikan laluan perdagangan dan strategi operasi bagi menghadapi persekitaran yang berubah. Artikel ini berhujah bahawa Yisa-mabang bukan sahaja merupakan peserta penting dalam perdagangan rentas sempadan antara selatan Yunnan dan utara Indocina dari pertengahan abad ke-19 hingga pertengahan abad ke-20, malah turut berperanan sebagai kuasa perantara yang mendorong pembentukan serta kesinambungan hubungan ekonomi serantau. Melalui kajian kes terhadap Yisa-mabang, artikel ini berusaha memperlihatkan peranan sejarah kumpulan pedagang tradisional dalam proses interaksi ekonomi kawasan sempadan serta pembentukan jaringan laluan serantau pada zaman moden awal.

Kata kunci: Perdagangan rentas sempadan, mabang, Indocina, Yunnan

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Constructing National Identities: An Initial Study of the Structural Formulation of Rukun Negara and Pancasila

Waqqas Zulfiquer,^*  Hanis Farhana

*Corresponding Author: waqqasbinzulfiquer03@gmail.com

Abstract

This study explores the ideological foundations of national identity in the neighbouring countries of Malaysia and Indonesia through a comparative analysis of their respective national philosophies, being the Rukun Negara and Pancasila. These national philosophies, however imposed juridically and timely differently—Rukun Negara in Malaysia (1970) while Pancasila in Indonesia (1945), are believed to have shared the same objective, or at the very least, the same vision—in effort to construct a strong sense of identity. Malaysia and Indonesia shared the same roots being a part of the Malay Archipelago, only then partitioned by the colonial borderings. Due to that, both countries may have had a different path of history, though arguably similarities are unavoidable. However, it is of the authors’ belief that both of the national philosophies are morally and socially binding in their respective societies. Because of that, it is in the interest of this study to learn the construction of structural aspects of the aforementioned separated paths of both Rukun Negara and Pancasila countries in their efforts to construct a just society with a concrete foundation of national identity. Therefore it is the aim of this study to act as a preliminary study of the structural formulation of each one of the philosophies in which current studies may have not yet reached a formidable status which would satisfy the academic needs in understanding the philosophies that formed the anchor societies of this sub-region. Thus, in achieving that aim, the authors utilized mainly secondary sources to fulfill the needs of the study while primary sources acted as supplementation to the secondary sources.

Keywords: Malaysia, Indonesia, Rukun Negara, Pancasila, National Identity

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Menilai Peranan Golongan Agama dalam Penentangan terhadap Malayan Union, 1945-1948

Azizi Yazit

*Corresponding author: aziziyazit@gmail.com

Abstrak

Dalam historiografi nasionalisme Melayu, peranan golongan agama dalam menggerakkan penentangan terhadap Malayan Union sering terpinggir daripada naratif arus perdana. Kebanyakan penulisan mengenai Malayan Union juga kurang memanfaatkan dokumen Colonial Office (CO) dan laporan perisikan British, sedangkan sumber-sumber ini memberikan gambaran yang signifikan tentang perkembangan gerakan penentangan. Berbeza daripada sumber terbuka seperti akhbar, laporan rasmi dan sumber sekunder, dokumen-dokumen tersebut memperlihatkan bahawa golongan agama bukan sahaja terlibat dalam merangka penentangan terhadap Malayan Union, malah turut menggerakkannya secara tersusun dan berkesan. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan Pembacaan Lawan Arus dengan menilai sesuatu peristiwa berdasarkan rasionaliti, logik dan perspektif pribumi. Selain itu, pendekatan Dekonstruksi Makna Dominan digunakan terhadap dokumen-dokumen CO bagi mentafsir semula istilah yang digunakan oleh pentadbiran kolonial. Misalnya, istilah “golongan keras” ditafsirkan sebagai kelompok anti-kolonial, “kritikan terus terang” sebagai bentuk kempen politik terbuka, manakala “agitasi keagamaan yang agak keras” difahami sebagai manifestasi penentangan yang berasaskan tuntutan agama. Sebaliknya, istilah “sederhana” ditafsirkan sebagai pendekatan yang lebih bertolak ansur dalam kerangka kolonial. Seterusnya, pendekatan Rekonstruksi Naratif digunakan untuk membina semula naratif sejarah daripada perspektif pribumi berdasarkan makna-makna yang telah didekonstruksi. Proses ini memanfaatkan konsep Sejarah Bertunjang yang dikemukakan oleh Abdul Rahman Ismail serta teori Orientalisme Edward Said untuk menilai secara kritis pembentukan naratif dikotomi Barat dalam dokumen-dokumen CO. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa golongan agama merupakan antara pemangkin utama gerakan penentangan terhadap Malayan Union. Penentangan tersebut bukan sahaja didorong oleh kesedaran politik dan semangat nasionalisme Melayu, tetapi turut berasaskan kefahaman agama yang melihat Malayan Union sebagai suatu gagasan yang bercanggah dengan prinsip Islam serta kepentingan umat Islam. Justeru, kajian ini bukan sahaja mengangkat semula kedudukan dan peranan golongan agama dalam sejarah nasionalisme Melayu, malah turut menyumbang kepada pemahaman yang lebih menyeluruh dan seimbang tentang gerakan nasionalisme Melayu semasa penentangan terhadap Malayan Union berdasarkan penelitian terhadap sumber-sumber primer.

Kata kunci: Malayan Union, Arus Tengah, Kelompok Agama, Nasionalis Agama

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Ceramic Plate with Rattan Basket ー A Case Study for the Trading and Localization of Hong Kong Tai Po Wun Yiu Ceramic in Sarawak by Orang Ulu People

Cheung Lok Yan

*Corresponding Author: minmasterqw@gmail.com

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of a ceramic plate with a customised rattan basket, produced at the Tai Po Wun Yiu kiln site in Hong Kong and collected from the Orang Ulu people of Sarawak, Malaysia, by ethnologist Chiang Bien in 1993. The study aims to reconstruct the trading voyage and the subsequent localisation process of Wun Yiu products in Southeast Asia, an aspect largely neglected in prior archaeological and historical research. Through a multi-disciplinary approach combining archaeological evidence, ethnological collections, oral history, archival documents, and museum resources, the paper first establishes the production provenance of the plate and summarises prior findings on ceramic exchange between Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. It then examines the ceramic and pottery usage of the Orang Ulu, revealing a complex repertoire of imported wares from various Chinese kilns alongside local Iban pottery. The study reconstructs two possible trading routes—one via local Hong Kong harbours and another through overland transport to Guangdong and subsequent transshipment—and argues that Wun Yiu wares were likely traded in small, supplementary quantities rather than as bulk cargo. Finally, the paper analyses the localisation of the plate through the addition of a rattan basket, demonstrating that the Orang Ulu adapted this foreign object to their environmental, domestic, and portable needs—for stabilisation, hanging storage, and outdoor mobility—transforming a relatively inexpensive Chinese tableware into a valued, durable item. This case not only fills a gap in the understanding of Hong Kong’s overseas ceramic trade but also highlights the agency of indigenous communities in material culture exchange, offering a nuanced perspective on cross-cultural interaction and the multiple lives of traded objects.

Keywords: Tai Po Wun Yiu, Blue And White Porcelain, Ceramic Overseas Trade, Orang Ulu people

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The Ruai as Lived Space: Social Practice, Ritual, and Collective Memory in the Iban Longhouse in Sarawak

Gregory Kiyai @ Keai

*Corresponding Author: gregory.kiyai@um.edu.my

Abstract

Cultural geography no longer treats space as a static physical backdrop; it is instead understood as a dynamic product of social process and lived experience. Within Iban indigenous architecture in Borneo, the ruai — the longhouse's communal gallery — is conventionally read as little more than a communal thoroughfare or an architectural transition zone. This study examines how everyday social practice, customary governance, and ritual constitute the ruai as a lived space in Henri Lefebvre's sense and explains how this lived space sustains the ongoing production of Iban collective memory and identity. The study adopts a qualitative ethnographic design combining participant observation with semi-structured interviews with eight informants across two longhouse settlements in Sarawak — Rumah Puso (Karangan Mong), Lubok Antu, and Rumah Ngindang (Rantau Kemayau Manis), Ulu Engkari- and was conducted between 13 and 18 September 2025. The ruai operates simultaneously as a socio-spatial axis for grassroots governance (aum), an informal pedagogical site for transmitting textile and material-culture knowledge, and a ritual arena that mediates between the human and spiritual worlds during marriage, harvest, and death rites. Status distinctions and, more recently, women's growing role in community decision-making are absorbed into the space's everyday use rather than requiring it to be reorganized. The ruai is not an architectural residue but an actively and continually reconstituted lived space that anchors governance, knowledge transmission, and cosmology within a single social unit. The study extends Lefebvrian spatial theory to Bornean indigenous architecture. It suggests that the conservation of the longhouse should attend to the social practices that keep the ruai alive, not only to its timber and structure.

Keywords: Cultural Geography; Lived Space; Ruai; Iban Longhouse; Collective Memory

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Archaeological Expressions of Jiangsu Culture: A Textual Analysis of Excavation Briefs

Suhu Xu

*Corresponding author: zjbwgxsh@163.com

Abstract

Jiangsu occupies the lower Yangtze and Huai river regions and is linked by the Yellow Sea, the Grand Canal, and dense river-lake networks. Its archaeology therefore cannot be reduced to a single Jiangnan cultural sequence. Objective: This study examines how Jiangsu culture is represented in archaeological writing and distinguishes modern regional identity from the technical archaeological concept of culture. Materials and methods: Using the same 449-record China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) export that underlay the submitted article, this revision re-screened all source journals by genre and geography rather than collecting new records. The resulting cross-journal corpus comprises 310 Jiangsu excavation briefs from eleven journals: 205 from Southeast Culture and 105 from ten other journals. Period terms, place names, classes of remains, and archaeological culture names were counted at the record level in titles, keywords, and abstracts and then checked through close reading. Results: Five recurrent patterns emerge: early rice agriculture and moated settlements in the lower Huai region; prehistoric rice farming and ritual centres around Taihu and Ningzhen; the transformation from Hushu culture to early Wu political and ritual forms; Wu-Yue interaction and craft production in eastern Jianghuai; and county cities, burials, canals, and workshops from the Han period through the Ming and Qing dynasties. Conclusion: Jiangsu's archaeological distinctiveness lies in long-term interaction among riverine, lacustrine, coastal, northern, and southern zones rather than in cultural uniformity. Significance: Cross-journal analysis of excavation abstracts provides a reproducible map of publication patterns and regional representation, while remaining explicit about the limits of abstract-level evidence.

Keywords: Jiangsu culture; archaeological culture; excavation briefs; regional archaeology; cultural patterns