マレーシアにおける社会科学の形成と展開

――「プルーラル」概念史――

抄録

This essay clarifies the post-colonial character of Malaysian social sciences by analyzing their historical formation from the viewpoint of the concept “plural.” It argues that concepts such as “plural society,” “multiculturalism,” and “cultural pluralism,” which often emerge in the analysis of Malayan and Malaysian society, are contained within the concept “plural.” This concept was produced during the development of Area Studies, which centered on the United States after World War II. It was relevant to the problems of national integration and modernization that were faced by most newly independent nation states. In this regard, “plural” was firstly interpreted as a lack of national integration and as an obstacle to modernization. In the 1980s, however, however, some Malaysian scholars tried to revise the concept under the rubric of Ethnic Studies. They proposed the possibility of integration and modernization while maintaining the “plural” situation. In the 1990s, a new conception of “plural” emerged that undermines and contaminates boundaries. It has the possibility of breaking out of the national framework, although scholars still use the concept within the framework of Malaysia. This essay shows that the concept of “plural” has varied with time, as well as with the individual scholar. In this regard, the formation of the social sciences in Malaysia is under negotiation between different ideas of “plural” and what it means for national integration and modernization.