The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei.
Edited by Ooi Keat Gin (Professor, Academy of Brunei Studies, UBD and Honorary Professor, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia) and Victor T. King (Distinguished Professor of Borneo Studies, Institute of Asian Studies), this volume presents an overview of significant themes, issues, and challenges pertinent to Brunei Darussalam in the twenty-first century.
Multidisciplinary in coverage, the contributions cover topics relating to philology, history, religion, language and literature, geography, international relations, economics, politics and sociocultural traditions.
The back-cover description of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei is as follows:
Brunei, or Negara Brunei Darussalam, the Abode of Peace, is known to the world as a wealthy Malay-Muslim monarchy in tropical Southeast Asia, based on its profitable crude oil and natural gas exports. Sovereign and independent from the British Crown since 1984, this Muslim principality showcases a cradle-to-grave welfare state largely characterized by its national philosophy, ‘Melayu Islam Beraja’ (MIB), or ‘Malay Islamic Monarchy’.
Edited by Ooi Keat Gin and Victor T. King, both renowned scholars of Brunei and Borneo, the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei comprises 20 chapters across eight themes with MIB as its running thesis throughout. Each of the essays offers an in-depth study of topical issues that are of Brunei’s current concerns, notably the foundations of the sultanate, its history and historiography, religion, national identity, constituent ethnic identities, material culture, language, literature and education, economics, and issues pertaining to gender and youth.
The majority of the contributors comprise Bruneian academics and resident foreign scholars at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, each a specialist in their respective discipline, therefore providing an insider’s perspective.
Scholars, students and general readers will appreciate this wide-ranging volume, penetrating analysis and evaluation of this small state which is navigating its road to survival and sustainability with the decline in its oil and gas resources and, in a changing global environment, which is moving increasingly towards ‘clean’ energy.
OOI Keat Gin is Honorary Professor, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Visiting Professor, Korean Institute of ASEAN Studies, Busan University of Foreign Studies, South Korea, and Honorary Advisor to the Scopus-listed International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies (IJAPS).
Victor T. KING is Professor Emeritus, University of Leeds, Professor of Borneo Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Visiting Professor, Korean Institute of ASEAN Studies, Busan University of Foreign Studies, South Korea, and Editor, SUVANNABHUMI Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies.
To view the table of contents of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei, please visit the Routledge website.
