Why Cultures Co-Exist Better Than Ethnicities
By Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng
March 2023 FEATURE
ABOUT 30 YEARS ago, a very influential Malaysian scholar wrote the following incisive and insightful paragraphs:“I contend that, like most social phenomena, identity formation takes place within what I would call a ‘two social reality’ context: first, the ‘authority-defined’ social reality, one which is authoritatively defined by people who are part of the dominant power structure; and, second, the ‘everyday-defined’ social reality, one which is experienced by the people in the course of their everyday lives. These two social realities...
Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng
is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His latest book is Signals in the Noise: Notes on Penang, Malaysia and the World (Singapore: Faction Press) Homepage: wikibeng.com.
