Document-sharing through Use of the CSEAS Repository

"Compilation of Straits Settlements Statistical Data and Release on the CSEAS website"

R4-5 6-1 (R5 AY2023)

Project LeaderKawano Motoko (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
CollaboratorsTsubouchi Yoshihiro (Kyoto University)
Kobayashi Atsushi (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
Research ProjectCompilation of Straits Settlements Statistical Data and Release on the CSEAS website
Countries of StudySingpore, Malaysia

Outline of Research

British Malaya” made the Straits Settlements (SS) the base of its administration, whose main territories were Singapore, Penang, and Malacca. Our research group has collected and organized the actual numerical values in the annual reports of the Straits Settlements and aimed to share information related to the social, economic, and administrative conditions in Straits Settlements (SS), some of which were introduced to the public. With continuous database work, this research aims to refine the numerical value, create new materials such as figures, tables, and guidelines for users, and publish them online.

Purpose of Research, Its Significance and Expected Results, etc

The CSEAS Library housed microfilms of the colonial administration of British Malaya, that is, the annual reports of the Straits Settlements, the annual reports of the Federal Malay Stats and Unfederated Malay States, the Colonial Office Record 273, and so on, which have been used in the fields of not only history but also economy, politics, sociology, and anthropology. Various studies have accumulated rich outcomes in each area; however, they are differentiated and specialized. In contrast, this research will undertake joint research with the specialists of historians, political economists, and sociologists familiar with historical methods as well as statistical analysis. With this combination, this research will complete the database work and show a new perspective of using the record of the Straits Settlements Statistical data.

The annual reports of the Straits Settlements, 1917  at National Archives in London
Penang in Brithish Colonial era, from Picture postcard Collection