Illusions of Democracy

Illusions of Democracy: Malaysian Politics and People offers an up-to-date and broad analysis of the contemporary state of Malaysian politics and society. Transcending disciplinary boundaries, it offers a look at Malaysian politics not only through the lens of political science but also anthropology, cultural studies, international relations, political economy and legal studies touching on both overlooked topics in Malaysian political life as well as the emerging trends which will shape Malaysia's future. Covering silat martial arts, Malaysia's constitutional identity, emergency legislation, the South China Sea dilemma, ISIS discourse, zakat payment, the fallout from the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia's green movement, Illusions of Democracy charts the complex and multi-faceted nature of political life in a semi-authoritarian state, breaking down the illusions which keep it functioning, to uncover the mechanisms which really underlie the paradoxical longevity of Malaysia's political, economic and social system.

Sophie Lemière is a political anthropologist at the Ash Center for Democracy in the Democracy in Hard Places Program at Harvard University and is currently a visiting fellow at CSEAS, Kyoto University (until December 2019). She has also been awarded visiting fellowships at the Humanities Center at Stanford University and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington DC, in 2020. She holds a PhD and a Masters in Comparative Politics from Sciences-Po (France).

Foreword by Joseph Chinyong Liow, Acknowledgments, Introduction by Sophie Lemière, Part One: The (Mis-)Rules of Ethno-Politics Chapter 1 Demi Agama, Bangsa dan Negara: Silat Martial Arts and the 'Third Line' in Defence of Religion, Race, and the Malaysian State Lawrence Ross Chapter 2 The Real World? Fabricating Legitimacy in a Semi-Authoritarian State Sophie Lemière Chapter 3 Malaysia's Constitutional Identity: A Chimera? Mohd Nazim Ganti Shaari Chapter 4 Rebooting the Emergency: Najib's Law 'Reform' and the Normalisation of Crisis Amanda Whiting Chapter 5 Federalism in Serambi Mekah: Management of Islamic Education in Kelantan Azmil Tayyeb Part Two: The Local Scene and the International Game Chapter 6 Malaysian Politics and the South China Sea Dilemma Alessandro Uras Chapter 7 The Construction of Malaysia's Foreign Policy since 1957: An Emerging Middle Power's Choice to Follow, Challenge or Compromise with the Global Order Delphine Allès and Louise Perrodin Chapter 8 Ummah Revisited: Anti-Shia Hatred in Malaysia since the Outbreak of the Syrian Civil War Dominik M. Müller Chapter 9 The Violent Trajectory of Islamisation in Malaysia Aida Arosoaie and Mohamed Nawab Osman Part Three: The Voices of the 'Others' Chapter 10 Life in Limbo: Refugees in Malaysia Gerhard Hoffstaedter and Louise Perrodin Chapter 11 'Malay Muslim First': The Politics of Bumiputeraism in East Malaysia James Chin Chapter 12 Troubling Malaysia's Islamic State Identity: The 'Young' Struggle of LGBTQ's Narratives and the Art of Mis-Representation Angela M. Kuga Thas Part Four: The (Mis-)Management of Resources Chapter 13 Economics, Politics and the Law in Malaysia: A Case Study of the 1MDB Scandal Kerstin Steiner Chapter 14 Collecting, Resisting, and Paying Corporatised Zakat in Contemporary Malaysia Patricia Sloane-White Chapter 15 Malaysia's Green Movement: Old Continuities and New Possibilities Azmil Tayeb and Yew Wei Lit Chapter 16 Responsible Resource Management of the Oil and Gas Sector in Malaysia: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities Tricia Yeoh, Afterword, List of Contributors, Index.