Legend, Gender Inequalities and the Politics of Heritage in Malaysia in the Mahsuri Narrative as Living Folk Literature

Abstract

The legend of Mahsuri is one of the most prominent narratives in Kedah’s folk literature, originating from Langkawi’s oral tradition and later transformed into various written and cultural forms. Although commonly interpreted as a moral tale centred on slander, purity, and a generational curse, the narrative has undergone significant transformation that positions it within Malaysia’s modern cultural and heritage discourse. The main problem addressed in this study is the tendency of previous scholarship to approach Mahsuri descriptively without examining its role in identity formation, heritage institutionalisation, and the positioning of women within postcolonial structures of power. The objectives of this study are to analyse the transformation of Mahsuri from oral tradition to state narrative, to examine the symbolic positioning of the female body in the construction of cultural memory, and to assess how heritage institutions reinterpret the legend in contemporary Malaysia. This study employs qualitative methods combining critical textual analysis of folk literature, colonial sources, and academic writings, together with field observations conducted at Kota Mahsuri. The findings show that the legend has been institutionalised through heritage sites, incorporated into tourism practices, and reframed to serve cultural and political interests of the modern state. While the narrative further reinforces the symbolic role of women as moral and cultural markers, it continues to limit women’s voices within social and heritage structures. This study contributes to the enrichment of Malay folk literature studies by emphasising the importance of critical readings that examine the interconnections between memory, heritage, gender, and power within Malaysia’s postcolonial context.

Keywords: Mahsuri, folk literature, legend, women’s representation, cultural heritage, postcolonial power

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