Malaysia. Penang and its region: The story of an Asian entrepôt. By Yeoh Seng Guan, Loh Wei Leng, Khoo Salma Nasution and Neil Khor. Singapore: NUS Press, 2009. Pp. xvi + 284. Notes, Index.

Abstract

Penang and its region: The story of an Asian entrepot By YEOH SENG GUAN, LOH WEI LENG, KHOO SALMA NASUTION and NEIL KHOR Singapore: NUS Press, 2009. Pp. xvi + 284. Notes, Index. Penang and its region is the first of two volumes to emerge from The Penang Story Conference. Held in 2002, the Conference was held in the run-up to the port-city's application for World Heritage status, and aimed to deepen knowledge of its history as well as promote greater awareness of its 'living' culture. As part of this endeavour, this book brings together 12 papers that deal with one of two unifying themes: Penang and its role as a hub or maritime junction; and Penang as part of a network spanning Southeast Asia and beyond. Seeking to break away from standard nation- and Euro-centric approaches to history, the chapters seek to approach Penang from a variety of perspectives. As such, the book aims to provide an 'original framework for reconstructing Penang's distinctive history out of diverse strands of narratives' (p. xv). The first two chapters provide long-ranging historical overviews of Penang. The first by Tan Liok Ee spans the port's history from 1786 to the present day. The second by C.M. Turnbull focuses on changes in Penang's role during the existence of the Straits Settlements. The next five chapters look at Penang's relationships with surrounding areas, largely, but not exclusively, through the prism of trade relations. These chapters use a variety of perspectives, such as looking at trading communities in Penang (Virunha), cross-territorial relations (Khoo, King and Lubis), and continuities and changes in commercial interactions (Loh). The next three chapters focus on the lives and commercial relations of prominent Penang-based entrepreneurs and their families. Chung analyses the Eu Yan Sang firm, Wu looks at the Choong family, and Trocki studies Koh Seang Tat and the opium trade. The last two chapters look at civil society in Penang. Leong looks at the role of secret societies in the city during the late 1940s and early 1950s and Tan looks at the radicalisation of the Penang Division of the Labour Party in the 1960s. Overall, Penang and its region contains much that is of interest to scholars focusing on Penang and the Straits Settlements, as well as maritime and business history. The papers cover a broad range of topics, ensuring that there will be something of import to a wide readership. Perhaps the most useful outcome of the range of perspectives used by the authors is that interesting connections are made between Penang and the surrounding region. …