The Colonial Hangover and the Illusion of Choice: A Dual Failure of Pedagogy and National Identity in Malaysia's English Literature Curriculum
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The policy of integrating a literature component into the secondary school English syllabus in Malaysia was an initiative made to improve language proficiency and promote a cohesive national identity. However, almost two decades after its implementation, a systematic synthesis of empirical studies (2012–2023) reveals that the curriculum has undergone a profound crisis, characterised by a dual failure. First, it has systematically neglected consistent and extensive student preference for culturally-specific and relatable texts, resulting in a pedagogical disconnect that has led to disengagement and rote learning. Second, and more critical, is the curriculum’s evolution towards an imperialistic corpus of Western literary classics, which has actively undermined the goal of nation building by marginalising local narratives. This article argues that these failures are by no means coincidental, but a symptom of “colonial legacy” in educational policy, in which the former colonial’s cultural foundation is unconsciously prioritised. Through a postcolonial theoretical lens, the analysis finds that the curriculum functions as a platform of cultural alienation. This article concludes that gradual changes are insufficient; it demands a radical transformation through decolonisation in the selection of texts and pedagogy in order to align the curriculum with the voices of the stakeholders and the imperatives of a post-colonial national identity.
DOI: 10.37052/jm.19(2)no7
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7203665792