Abstract
This article discusses the Undang-undang tubuh negeri Johor of 1895 (the Constitution of Johor 1895), a document that for many represents the birth of the ‘modern state’ in the Malay Peninsula. It introduces a reading of the Constitution in the context of other texts produced by and for the state of Johor during Sultan Abu Bakar's reign, including portraits commissioned throughout his lifetime, the texts of treaties that changed his status from Temenggong to Maharajah to Sultan, and the adoption of the Ottoman Majalla as the Islamic civil code in 1893. In light of these texts, the first Constitution of Johor can be read as part of the repertoire available to Malay elites attempting to negotiate, subvert and capitalise upon colonial interventions in the state. Reading texts of law alongside other texts of the 19th century opens a broader line of inquiry into the interpretation of constitutional and founding discourses of the state.
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