Malayland
Dina Zaman
Faction Press and Ethos Books: 2025
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The first thing that greets you when you pick up Dina Zaman’s Malayland is a black-and-white photograph of a young Malay family on the dusty pink cover. The father is dressed in a suit, the mother, carrying a baby, is grinning, her clothes a mix of traditional and modern notes. Another child is standing in front of her parents, crossing time and space with her innocent gaze, already full of premonition and prophecy.

This is how Dina greets us in her latest piece of nonfiction unpacking Malay identity in Malaysia in the 2020s. The project emerged from the pandemic, motivated by questions about what makes Malays tick in the twenty-first century—what drives their politics, beliefs, desires and fears. Across seven chapters, she takes us through the interviews and interactions she’s had, either personally or through IMAN Research, the think-tank she founded. Her range is impressive: from the rural to the urban, from different social, political and academic backgrounds. Although her book is readable and familiar, quite “come close and let me share with you, okay?”, it’s packed with information, research and academic rigour.

What makes the work even more potent is that she puts herself under the spotlight too. Malayland is as much a personal quest for identity as it is a community’s. Another important thread is the role of Islam—how it has helped Malays, whether it has made them progress or regress, if it’s a thing to celebrate or fear. As Dina discovers, it really depends who you ask. Everyone has their own unique experience and approach, but everything becomes hazy when you look at things collectively.

• Tags: Dina Zaman, Issue 40, Malaysia, Rowena Abdul Razak