About the Book: In the Malay World
Based on various archival and non-archival records, oral testimonies and travel
accounts, some of which are used for the first time, this book explores the
historical migration of Bengalis and their diasporic experiences in Malaysia,
Singapore and Brunei, covering a period from the mid-nineteenth to the late
twentieth century. Despite the tremendous historical mobility of the Bengalis in
the Malay world and their contemporary salience, as reflected in the regions
more-than-a-million-strong Bengali diaspora, their historical contribution
remains almost unseen. This book addresses this lacuna by exploring the
connections between Bengal and Malaya. The book further examines the formation
of a Bengali