MALAY ETHNOCENTRISM IN SULALATUS SALATIN

This study discusses about ethnocentrism in a text of a traditional Malay historiography, Sulatus Salatin. Ethnocentrism here refers to the ripples of early resistances by the Malays against the British colonization before the colonial era. The construction of the concept of Malay ethnocentrism is analyzed by understanding how the author dealt and created his work. This study employs William Graham Sumner’s conceptual framework in understanding the phenomena of ethnocentrism ; Sumner defines ethnocentrism as “one’s own group is the center of everything,” against which all other groups are judged. This study further examines the text intrinsically by analyzing in detail the theme, the use of linguistics features such as metaphor, comparative devices, symbolisms, and how these elements are applied by other past authors to reflect the Malays’ ethnocentrism in Malacca. Besides that, the study also attempts to find out the main implicit reason of writing this text which is intertwined in the text. Finally, the findings of this study conclude that the author of Sulatus Salatin has utilized well and effectively the aspects of metaphor, hyperbole, comparative devices, and certain symbolisms to elevate the Malays’ supremacy over their ethnic adversary. The tendency to judge their own ethnic greater than other ethnic groups, is clearly the main strategy used by the author to display Malays’ ethnocentrism in the text being studied.