The Orang Laut, or 'Sea Peoples', of the southern Melaka Straits are a heterogeneous group that played a vital role in the rise and fall of states in the region for over a millennium. This article surveys their role in supporting their patrons through their knowledge of the sea, its currents, and surrounding rivers. Their importance in securing a ruler's position began to decline in the eighteenth century when new migrant groups, both European and Southeast Asian, displaced the Orang Laut in the region. While changes in technology also played a role, it is argued that the shattering of the link between ruler and ruled was the first step in their decline as a substantial force.
The Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (JMBRAS) and its predecessors (The Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society) have maintained continuous publication since 1878 except for the years of the Second World War. Originally produced by colonial administrators for an almost entirely expatriate readership, JMBRAS has evolved into the leading peer-reviewed academic journal dealing with history, culture and society in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The journal, which appears twice yearly, serves an extensive local readership as well as a wide range of libraries throughout the world. Current issues are available electronically to academic libraries through Project MUSE, and older issues through JSTOR.
The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, publisher of the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, traces its origins to the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, founded in Singapore in 1877. With approximately 850 individual and institutional members in Malaysia and worldwide, the Society is the leading scholarly organization studying the history and culture of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. In addition to the journal, which appears twice annually, the Society publishes scholarly monographs and re-prints old and out-of-print materials relating to the Malaysian region. The Society also organizes talks and occasional visits for members.
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