How far would you agree that plural societies in South East
A plural society is one based on the principle that people of different races, religion and political beliefs live together within the same community. Western colonialism refers to the period in which the European countries mainly Britain, France and Holland, controlled a region or a country of their interests both economically and politically. South East Asian states had been under the control of the colonizing European countries since 1870s except the non-colonial Siam. Ethnic diversity had existed in pre-colonial South East Asia. There were differences in language or rather dialect, lifestyles and occupation although the people were of the same ethnic group. However, despite the pre-existing conditions in South East Asia, western colonization was seen as the key factor in the formation of plural societies. Unlike the earlier South East Asia's conquerors, the Western colonial power didn't want to be at the same level as the indigenous people. According to Butcher and Taylor, the Europeans began placing greater distances between themselves and Asians. When more Europeans came to the colonies, all relations with other races came to an end because they were following the concepts of superiority and inferiority by which they co
Moreover, education and language policies were also a source of ethnic diversity. Most Chinese left the European rubber plantations and became either plantation owner or small holders in the towns. As a consequence of these distinct educational provision by the Westerners further helped to emphasize the growth of 'plural societies'. The strict division of people according to races, ethnic and linguistic groups was a European colonial innovation. Hence, a gap developed between the Malays who were given some political roles and the immigrant races that were mostly given social and economic roles only. The Chinese sent their children to Chinese-teaching schools and the Indians to Tamil Medium Schools set up by their Western estate-owner employer. As indigenous people started to behave like Europeans and got English education, the Europeans couldn't see their uniqueness and superiority anymore and thus, they began to segregate Asians from their 'enclaves'. A legislative body was established especially to regulate and improve the conditions of new arrivals who soon found themselves formed in enclaves. There is a variety of conditions that caused the development of plural societies in South East Asian states during the western colonial era. Yet, pluralism still grew especially the states that came to terms with the Dutch by signing the Short Declarations. As such, any indigenous who worked outside their homeland or region would settled as discrete ethnic identity and thus forming 'plural societies'. As a result of this division in occupational areas, 'plural societies' unintentionally developed for 'they mix but do not combine'. The domination of economy and administration by non-Burmese in Burma further strengthened the Burmese resentment towards the foreign races especially Indians. The British in Malaya proclaimed that the administrations were conducted by the Sultans which Emerson describes as 'a comforting and useful fraud'. The relations between British India and Burma caused the Burmese lost out to Indians professionals who migrated to Burma which created an 'explosive situation' by 1930s.
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