This book explores issues shaping and defining modern Bruneian identity. It addresses the research gap regarding Brunei studies in terms of the language, literature, and culture of Brunei which, with its bilingual education, is uniquely positioned at the intersection of the Malay and western worlds. The book analyses the linguistic, literary, and cultural modes that provide the backdrop for modern-day instantiations of local identity, as expressed through printed and online materials, film, art, and social practices. It compares Brunei English and Brunei Malay in the context of the literature and culture of Brunei. Readers will find it useful as an essential resource for academic scholars, university students, and others interested in the study of Brunei Darussalam's language, literature, and culture. It provides critical insights from an insiders' perspective into the local identity of the culturally diverse Bruneian society.

This detailed survey of Brunei English reflects the burgeoning academic interest in the many new varieties of English which are fast evolving around the world. Wholly up to date, the study is based on careful analysis of a substantial dataset that provides real-life examples of usage to illustrate the narrative throughout. As well as a thorough account of the pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary usage, and discourse patterns of Brunei English, the volume explores its historical and educational background and current developmental trends, providing an in-depth review of the patterns of English usage within this multilingual, oil-rich society on the north-western coast of Borneo. Written in a non-technical style throughout that will assist non-specialists wishing to grasp the fundamentals of this unique brand of the English language, the work is a worthy addition to Springer’s series on multilingual education that plugs a gap in the coverage of the numerous varieties of English being used across South East Asia. “The authors bring renewed and badly needed attention to the long-overlooked development of Brunei English. Their examination of the variety not only documents the features and functions of English within Brunei society, it also suggests the development of regional or global varieties of English that extend beyond Brunei, and even beyond South East Asia.” Andrew Moody, University of Macau

A jaw-dropping story of how a girl from the suburbs ends up in a prince's harem, and emerges from the secret Xanadu both richer and wiser At eighteen, Jillian Lauren was an NYU theater school dropout with a tip about an upcoming audition. The "casting director" told her that a rich businessman in Singapore would pay pretty American girls $20,000 if they stayed for two weeks to spice up his parties. Soon, Jillian was on a plane to Borneo, where she would spend the next eighteen months in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, youngest brother of the Sultan of Brunei, leaving behind her gritty East Village apartment for a palace with rugs laced with gold and trading her band of artist friends for a coterie of backstabbing beauties. More than just a sexy read set in an exotic land, Some Girls is also the story of how a rebellious teen found herself-and the courage to meet her birth mother and eventually adopt a baby boy.

Readers visit the island of Borneo to explore the history, people, and culture of the nation of Brunei. They discover chapters devoted to Brunei’s geography and environment, history and government, and economics and ethnic groups. In addition, they’re treated to fun facts about the ways people relax, celebrate, and cook in this country. Up-to-date main text presents essential information and is paired with colorful photographs of the landscapes and daily life of Brunei. From learning the language to trying popular recipes, the interactive elements of this reading experience are sure to appeal to future world travelers.

This book focuses on the intertwined relationships between globalisation, nation-building, education, and reform as manifested throughout the modern history of Brunei Darussalam, an Islamic monarchy located on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is the first book dedicated to the examination of Brunei’s education system, schooling, teacher education, and society in close connection with the national philosophy Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB) or Malay Islamic Monarchy. The authors provide a historical understanding of the country’s education and tell Brunei’s story of educational reform and change in its own language, narratives, accounts, and unique standpoints. Interdisciplinary chapters draw on significant historical and textual sources in three languages, namely Arabic, English, and Malay, to contribute to scholarship on education studies, international and comparative education, and international and development education.

Sultan Haji Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin III (r. 1950-67), Brunei's twenty-eighth Ruler and the father of the present Sultan, His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, is known as the 'Architect of Modern Brunei Darussalam' for his role in transforming Brunei from a backwater community, threatened with extinction, into a modern State adorned with mosques and palaces, while retaining its unique Kampong Ayer. Brunei, the only traditional Malay Islamic Monarchy enjoying an independent existence, reached its zenith in the early part of the sixteenth century, when its paramountcy was acknowledged throughout Borneo, the Sulu Archipelago, and the southern Philippines. The kingdom which Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin inherited, however, not only remained under the protection of Britain but had been reduced to a mere 5765 square kilometres, split into two enclaves - Brunei-Muara, Tutong, and Belait districts on the one side, and Temburong district on the other - by the annexation of the central Limbang district by Rajah Charles Brooke. Coveted for its massive oil wealth, the kingdom faced challenges both internally from anti-colonialist and independence movements and externally from its more powerful neighbours. This study describes in detail the way in which Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin conducted diplomatic relations with Great Britain in his efforts to restore the sovereignty and dignity of the Brunei monarchy, protect his dynastic interests as well as the interests of Brunei, resist British plans for forging political unions (first with the British colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak, and then with Malaysia), and attain self-government according to his own political agenda. But it ismore than a biography of a remarkable man's life and his times. The book adds to our knowledge and understanding of modern Brunei and its political life, of the ambitions and activities of the Sultan, the British, and other principal actors in Brunei's political scene, and of British policy in the latter days of empire in Asia.