DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE AND SOCIAL SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

This article aims to explore the impact of development discourse on the production of social science knowledge in Malaysia since the adoption of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971. It analyses the nexus between development discourse and the growth of social science themes in Malaysia. This nexus was methodologically tracked using a thematic content study. The paper surveys the articles published by the Akadamika Journal of social science and humanities from 1972-2010 with a special focus on the themes of development discourse in Malaysia. The paper interrogates how the development discourse in Malaysia influences the thematic debates in social science? The findings of the paper revealed four major themes that underpinned the production of social science knowledge in Malaysia. The themes include; (a) Gender and economic development, (b) Climate change and development, (c) State, capital and labour (d) Peasant transformation. The implication of the findings suggests that the Malaysian state’s industrial development significantly influences the formation of debates or construction of social science knowledge by Malaysian scholars. The paper’s findings further showed the potential of social science knowledge in contributing to the development aspirations of the state through a policy coherence between development and values system of the society. The findings also revealed the relevance of social science knowledge in achieving the sustainable development goals on gender equality, economic growth and promotion of sustainable communities in Malaysia.
 Keywords: Development, thematic analysis, knowledge production, Malaysian development, social science