The Land of Complexity 19th and 20th Century Northern Borneo SocioDemographic History: A Review

Abstrak

North Borneo has always been the object of international interests and politics.
This situation is the effect of socio-demographic plurality that led to the
absence of a cohesive socio-political identity that can unite them together. This
study aims to analyze the social demographic history of the people of North
Borneo (Kalimantan) in the 19th and 20th centuries to understand the
complex geopolitics in the region during the decolonialisation process in the
post-Second World War. Using a literature review, there are some points
concluded, first, the Malay Sultanate of Brunei had dominated the political
structure of the area that influenced the foundation of the Malay social system
in North Borneo for the following centuries. Second, the colonial project of
James Brooke changed the social order in North Borneo with the significant
presence of non-Malay groups such as the Chinese until the mid-20th century.
Third, the Japanese occupation during the Second World War had brought
nationalism among the natives. This spirit had led to an attitude of
ethnonationalism that makes it was challenging to build a cohesive national
identity among different ethnic groups there. Fourth, after the war, regional
conflicts due to the Cold War triggered differences in political systems among
the new states that gained independence