The Malay Nobat

The Malay Nobat: A History of Power, Acculturation, and Sovereignty explores the history and meaning of the nobat, a court ensemble that performs in courts in Malaysia and Brunei with roots in the Islamicate world since Abbassid times. Raja Iskandar Bin Raja Halid examines the nobat spread throughout the Muslim empire and its emergence as a symbol of power and sovereignty. The book offers a new perspective of the Islamic history of Southeast Asia through detailed study of early Malay literature and accounts of western travelers. The author argues that the nobat was an important symbol of Muslim power that went through a series of encounters and accommodation. The author analyzes the effect of the nobat’s appropriation by colonial powers and of its induction as part of an invented tradition in the process of nation-building a modern Malay state. The author ultimately shows how existing nobat ensembles in Malaysia and Brunei are the last living legacy of the Mulism world.