Kopitiam: Discursive Cosmopolitan Spaces and National Identity in Malaysian Culture and Media

Abstract

A symbol of civic national identity in Malaysia, the kopitiam (Hokkien for `coffeeshop') is considered a cosmopolitan space welcoming diversity and critical democratic discourse across race, class, gender and age. Lately, the name `kopitiam' is also invoked in online discussion forums by Malaysians. As a modest and ubiquitous part of the daily national landscape, found spread out in small towns, urban areas and their surrounding suburbs, the kopitiam is representative of the daily informal civic life of Malaysian citizens. Additionally, it predates by at least 50 years the monumental architectural wonders such as the Islamic-inspired Petronas Twin Towers. While the kopitiam does not try to compete for world attention, interestingly it is in itself a place where different worlds and cultures meet/collide in hybrid fusion, whether as patrons or in the menu and food served.