War and Memory in Malaysia and Singapore

"P. Lim Pui Huen and Diana Wong are to be congratulated for editing this fine scholarly volume, which helps our understanding of the trauma of the Japanese occupation inflicted upon Malaysians and Singaporeans and upon their history" (JMBRAS).

This volume consists of selected papers presented at a workshop on War and Memory in Malaysia and Singapore to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II, plus two additional papers. The papers reveal the importance of oral history where documentary records are lacking. The excavation of memory covering classes, communities and localities throws up the multiplicity and complexity of memory, deeply layered and richly textured, especially because of the complex nature of society in Malaysia and Singapore. As the generation of those who fought in the war and suffered as its victims is gradually passing, the reflections on war and memory contained in this volume are timely.