328
BOOK REVIEWS
topic, the subject of headmen retiring from their positions. He gives two cases, one being that of a headman who was warned to keep away from his former territory after he came out of gaol, the other being that of a headman operating a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur without interference. A last paragraph then completes the section, the contention of this paragraph being that ordinary members in these societies are permitted to resign only under "special conditions," such as, for example, "if they lose interest in their work." The mind boggles: is this a very "special" condition? And, what, if anything, has the reader learnt about "internal control" from this section?
This is not an isolated example. The entire book consists of a melange of almost totally unco-ordinated passages. Some of these passages are in themselves even interesting, at least potentially, but the author hardly ever leaves the critical reader satisfied. It is stated in this book for instance that secret society activities went through four stages: voluntary co-existence, inter-society feuds, involuntary co-existence, and renewed conflicts. However, instead of showing how this description fits the facts, the author merely provides a table with a list of the activities of the secret societies without discussion or comment. Again, it is reported at one point that the author's own interviews in 1971 indicate that a quarter of secret society members jailed were unemployed at the time they joined the societies, but the reader is left to wonder when that was. At another point it is claimed that street names in Singapore suggest that the secret societies had their own territories in the nineteenth century, but the author does not explore how streets were named or by whom and the evidence therefore appears flimsy. The author, finally, attributes the existence of secret societies to "inadequacy in the legal protection system", but this is basically an untestable hypothesis, and so does little to assist the enquiring reader to any fresh insight.
This disappointing book does little to clarify either the historical or anthropological facets of this fascinating subject. Unfortunately, despite its title, its incoherence will render it equally unhelpful to the sociologist.
DAVID FAURE
328
BOOK REVIEWS
topic, the subject of headmen retiring from their positions. He gives two cases, one being that of a headman who was warned to keep away from his former territory after he came out of gaol, the other being that of a headman operating a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur without interference. A last paragraph then completes the section, the contention of this paragraph being that ordinary members in these societies are permitted to resign only under "special conditions," such as, for example, "if they lose interest in their work." The mind boggles: is this a very "special" condition? And, what, if anything, has the reader learnt about "internal control" from this section?
This is not an isolated example. The entire book consists of a melange of almost totally unco-ordinated passages. Some of these passages are in themselves even interesting, at least potentially, but the author hardly ever leaves the critical reader satisfied. It is stated in this book for instance that secret society activities went through four stages: voluntary co-existence, inter- society feuds, involuntary co-existence, and renewed conflicts. However, instead of showing how this description fits the facts, the author merely provides a table with a list of the activities of the secret societies without discussion or comment. Again, it is reported at one point that the author's own interviews in 1971 indicate that a quarter of secret society members jailed were unemployed at the time they joined the societies, but the reader is left to wonder when that was. At another point it is claimed that street names in Singapore suggest that the secret societies had their own territories in the nineteenth century, but the author does not explore how streets were named or by whom and the evidence therefore appears flimsy. The author, finally, attributes the existence of secret societies to "inadequacy in the legal protection system", but this is basically an untestable hypothesis, and so does little to assist the enquiring reader to any fresh insight.
This disappointing book does little to clarify either the historical or anthropological facets of this fascinating subject. Unfortunately, despite its title, its incoherence will render it equally unhelpful to the sociologist.
DAVID FAURE
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.