Cosmopolitan Intimacies (Paperback)

Adil Johan

ISBN 10: 9814722634 / ISBN 13: 9789814722636

Published by NUS Press, Singapore, 2018

About this Item

Paperback. The golden age of Malay film in the 1950s and 1960s was the product of a musical and cultural cosmopolitanism in the service of a nation-making process based on ideas of Malay ethnonationalism, initially fluid, increasingly homogenised over time. The commercial films of the period, and in particular their film music, from national cultural icons P. Ramlee and Zubir Said, remain important reference points for Malaysia and Singapore to this day. This is the first in-depth study of the film music of the period. It brings together ethnomusicological and cultural studies perspectives.Written in an engaging manner, thoroughly illustrated and incorporating musical scores, the book will appeal to dedicated film fans, musicians, composers and film-makers interested in Southeast Asia and the Malay world. But equally, the conceptual framework will be of interest to a broad range of scholars of Southeast Asia, as it brings together ideas of cosmopolitanism and cultural intimacy to narrate a history of nation-making in the region. The golden age of Malay film in the 1950s and 1960s was the product of a musical and cultural cosmopolitanism in the service of a nation-making process based on ideas of Malay ethnonationalism, initially fluid, increasingly homogenised over time. This is the first in-depth study of the film music of the period. It brings together ethnomusicological and cultural studies perspectives. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9789814722636

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Cosmopolitan Intimacies (Paperback)
• Publisher: NUS Press, Singapore
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9814722634
• ISBN 13: 9789814722636
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The 1950s and ’60s are now thought to be the Golden Age of Malay film. A big part of what made films of this era so popular was their beguiling music. In this absorbing study, the scholar and musician Adil Johan examines the social and cultural impact of the film music of the period, and its role in nation-making.
Drawing on analyses of lyrics and music, interviews with musicians, and the content of Malay entertainment magazines, in an approach that spans ethnomusicology and cultural studies, he reveals this body of work to be a product of a musical and cultural cosmopolitanism in the service of a nation-making process based on ideas of Malay ethnonationalism, initially fluid but increasingly homogenized over time. Malay film music of the period covertly expressed radical sentiments despite being produced within a commercialized film industry.
Written in a lively style and illustrated with musical examples, the book will satisfy ethnomusicologists, composers, and film studies scholars interested in Southeast Asia and the Malay world. It will equally be of interest to scholars interested in the role of culture in nation-making more broadly.

About the Author

Adil Johan is a musician, ethnomusicologist, and research fellow at the Institute for Ethnic Studies at the National University of Malaysia.