(Re)presenting Brunei Darussalam: A Sociology of the Everyday

This open-access book explores the forces and issues shaping and defining contemporary identities and everyday life in Brunei Darussalam, receiving limited attention from mainstream social scientists. It presents a collage of distinct case studies by local scholars, offering new perspectives on the country's diversity and textures. It is an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and others interested in studying contemporary Brunei, stimulating critical reflection on positionality, hierarchies of knowledge production, cultural diversity, and the social science study of Brunei.

Format: Hardback
Length: 346 pages
Publication date: 07 April 2023
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

This comprehensive and insightful open-access volume delves into the complex forces and issues that shape and define contemporary identities and everyday life in Brunei Darussalam. Until now, this subject has received relatively limited attention from mainstream social scientists studying Southeast Asian societies. The volume aims to rectify this imbalance by providing detailed insights into how religion, gender, place, ethnicity, nation-state formation, migration, and economic activity intertwine and impact the lives of ordinary Bruneians. In a groundbreaking approach, all the lead authors of the chapter contributions are local Bruneian scholars, and the editors skillfully integrate the study of Brunei into the broader realm of sociology of everyday life from various disciplinary perspectives. By engaging local scholars to document everyday concerns that resonate with them, the volume presents a captivating collage of distinct yet interconnected case studies that have been previously undocumented or underappreciated. These interior portrayals offer fresh perspectives, scales, and nuances to our understanding of Brunei, often overlooked by mainstream inquiry. Each case study, in its unique way, sheds light on how structures and institutions express themselves through intricate processes to influence the lives of its inhabitants. This volume will be of immense value to academic scholars, university students, and anyone interested in exploring the diverse tapestry of contemporary Brunei Darussalam. It serves as a valuable resource for unraveling the country's rich diversity and intricacies, while also encouraging critical reflection on issues of positionality, hierarchies of knowledge production, cultural diversity, and the methodologies employed in studying Brunei within the social sciences.

Weight: 735g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789811960581
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023