"Few gave tiny Singapore much chance of survival when it was granted independence in 1965. How is it, then, that today the former British colonial trading post is a thriving Asian metropolis?" "The story of that transformation is told here by Lee Kuan Yew. Rising from a legacy of divisive colonialism, the devastation of the Second World War, and general poverty and disorder following the withdr…
G. R. Madan's Changing Patterns of Indian Villages is a profound sociological and demographic study of the transformation of rural society in India during the post-independence period through the mid-20th century. Madan explores how old social structures—such as caste, rural family structure, and agrarian relations—evolved and adapted under the pressures of modernization, land reform, and l…
V. S. Naipaul's India: A Wounded Civilization is both a personal reflection and a trenchant analysis of India, written after his visit to the country in 1975 during the Emergency. Naipaul examines India's complex history, religion, and social structure, arguing that centuries of foreign rule have left deep psychological and cultural scars. He depicts a nation grappling with poverty, disillusion…
Of course, they will tell you about the sun and the golden beaches fringed with foam, the refreshing and fragrant breeze known locally as the “alizé,” and the coves filled with birds and flowers, where adventurers and poets alike can find their sweet spot. What they don't tell you is that there is above all plenty of sunshine in the hearts of the women and men of this country, which is s…
Only one Western writer has ever been able to capture fully the spirit of the delightful inhabitants of Burma. Whether describing the childbirth rates, the function of the astrologers in Burmese society, or the Buddhist precepts by which the good Burman lives, "Shway Yoe" ―the pseudonym of Sir J. George Scott, K.C.I.E., a British civil servant who spent more than thirty years in Burma―fills…
Status of Women in Turkey by Emel Doğramacı provides a comprehensive examination of the historical and contemporary position of women within Turkish society. The book analyzes the evolution of women’s rights from the Ottoman period through the establishment of the Turkish Republic and into the modern era. Doğramacı explores key areas such as education, employment, legal status, political …
Meliput konflik adalah tugas sehari-hari Rien Kuntari, wartawan Kompas. Dia telah memasuki medan-medan perang paling berbahaya, termasuk Rwanda, Irak, dan Kamboja. Tapi, di antara semua wilayah konflik yang pernah dia liput, Timor Timur adalah yang paling sulit, paling membahayakan, dan sekaligus paling mengesankan. Sebagai seorang wartawan yang dituntut bersikap objektif dan cover both sides, …
Do you know in Brunei we used to have a festival called 'berjanawari'? Or that the Brunei word for great-great-great grandparents is the same as the action describing shaking your head? Or that Brunei's largest export used to be derived from mangrove trees? Or that 'Hua Hui' a gambling game was widely played in Brunei? Or the many facts that you have never known about Brunei? This is the se…
Apprentice Revolutionaries: The Communist Movement in Laos by Phongsavath Boupha provides a comprehensive historical analysis of the emergence and evolution of the communist movement in Laos from its early stages to its consolidation in the late twentieth century. The book examines the socio-political and economic conditions that facilitated revolutionary activism, the role of local and interna…
Buku Cerocok Budaya Brunei ini merupakan himpunan 13 buah kertas kerja Profesor Madya Dr. Haji Hashim bin Haji Abd. Hamid, salah seorang tenaga akademik di Akademi Pengajian Brunei, Universiti Brunei Darussalam yang dibentangkannya dalam beberapa seminar/kongres/pertemuan, sama ada di peringkat kebangsaan, serantau, dan antarabangsa. Buku ini memfokuskan perbincangannya dalam bidang sosiobudaya…