Migrating Worlds: What is a Mahua Literary Subject?

This talk is part of a lecture series titled Migrating Worlds; Rethinking Southeast Asia through Transnational Connections

This lecture considers the Mahua, or Malaysian-Chinese, literary subject as not just a
migrant figure in search of a nation, but first and foremost, a postcolonial or colonial
legal subject. Drawing on examples from historical documents and fiction, I show how
the Mahua literary subject is bound to the legacies of English common law, Chinese
customary law, and Malay-Muslim law. I also examine why writers and historians
perceive Mahua difference or uniqueness (dute xing) according to such frameworks.

Join the online lecture via google meet here.