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We collect academic articles on Borneo, translate them into ordinary English, and condense them into a manageable read.

In our sometimes column, “All Creatures Great and Small”, we write about current research in Borneo. Each topic is given a line or two and you can proceed to the article and read more. 

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Brooke’s Sarawak Thinking

Brooke Colonial Thinking in Sarawak European powers were competing to take over lands in Asia that they saw as “empty” or “unclaimed.” They called these places terra nullius — meaning “nobody’s land” — and said that made them free to claim and rule. They didn’t care that people were already

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All Creatures great and Small #76

All Creatures Great and Small #76 New Species A new species of pygmy grasshopper has been found near the Meligan River in Sabah. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5683.4.5 Sabah and Muslims This article examines the historical development of Islamic expansion and the emergence of Muslim converts (mualaf) in Sabah during the British colonial period.

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Indian Muslims of Sarawak

Islam first enteredhe Malabar Coast of India soon after the elevation of the Prophet Muhammad, in ~621 AD. The Malabar coast was one of the first areas to embrace Islam. It was brought by Arab traders from Yemen, Oman and the Hadramawt, an area of Southeast Yemen. The Moplah Community

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Sarawak Money

History of Sarawak Money There is no more boring reading than Sarawak’s (or anybody else’s) monetary policy. I fell asleep a couple of times trying to fathom this essay on the subject. I have condensed this article down to a page and a half from about 12 pages. If you

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Battle Between Brooke Forces and the Dayaks in 1844

Here is an account of the battle between Brooke forces and the pirates of the Skrang river valley in 1844 This newspaper article, describes from the Brooke point of view, the expedition up the Sakarran River to capture Seriff Sahib the leader of a group of Dayaks thought to be

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Ghosts and the Japanese Occupation

Ghosts and the Japanese Occupation Malaysia has long possessed a rich storytelling history and has combined elements of historical memory with narrative traditions centered on the Japanese occupation. One of these traditions is the cerita hantu (ghost story). Considered a “low-brow” form of entertainment, these stories include simple descriptions of

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Tom McLaughlin