The Travelogues of Abdullah Munshi: A Retrospective Study

The colonisation of Tanah Melayu (Malaya) by Western powers in the 19th century influenced the Malay literature of the time. Those literary works have given different interpretation covering various aspects such as culture, religion and society in Malaya. Abdullah Munshi was a famous Malay writer of the 19th century. He was dubbed the "Father of Modern Malay Literature" because he used modern writing techniques that were not found in older Malay literary works. This study aims to review Abdullah Munshi's travelogues as well as the studies that has been done on his travelogues. Qualitative method is used in this study. According to the survey findings, studies on Abdullah Munshi's travelogues can be divided into several aspects or main themes, including biography and contribution, language and literature, historiography, culture and society, guidance and advice, captivity, Occidentalism, and thought. Therefore, it is appropriate to highlight cultural and societal aspects because these are the aspects considered as potentially concordant with the criticism found in his travelogues. They also need to be detailed by raising issues of 19th century Malay society such as politics, unity, education, and attitudes. Therefore, it is hoped that future studies will focus on Abdullah Munshi's travelogues as they contain valuable insights of the Malay community especially from the aspects of national progress and civilisation.