The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

426 REVIEWS
generally seem to share a pro-Kelantan sentiment, a novel and welcome
perspective is added to the work as a whole. The pieces are arranged
so as to give the impression of a kind of continuous narrative relayed
from a succession of viewpoints. This carries the reader from a court
history by David Wyatt, translated from the Siamese chronicles, to a
radical reinterpretation of Kelantanese social history by the anthropologist,
Clive Kessler.
Four of the first five selections are primarily historical works.
Wyatt's translation of the Siamese Phongsawadan Muang Kelantan
presents a Siamese version of Kelantan's history from its most recent
documented origin. For practical purposes, Kelantan's "official" history
begins in about 1790. It was then, shortly after the re-organization of
the Siamese state uuder the present Chakri dynasty, that the Thai
resumed their involvement in the dynastic squabbles of the Malay states
in this part of the Peninsula. The Wyatt piece is primarily concerned
with court rivalries and with building a case for Siamese hegemony.
Although it bas little to do with Islam, it provides an appropriate
beginning for the book. Malay history, generally dominated by British
and British-trained Malays, is rarely presented from a purely Soutbeast
Asian point of view. This look at Kelantan from the northern end of
the Malay Peninsula forces the reader to re-orient his perspective and
helps to prepare him for what is to come.
Kelantan's transition, from Siamese overlordship to British domination,
is the subject of the second study by Mohd. b. Nik Mohd. Salleh.
This young, western-trained Kelantanese historian offers a competent
treatment of official developments within the state's deeply divided
ruling class. It is important for its treatment of the diplomatic and
political maneuvers among the Siamese, the British and the local Malays
which led to the establishment of British colonial government over the
state. An essential part of this story is his account of the Duff Development
Co., an excellent example of the manner in which the flag followed
trade in the heyday of European imperialism.