J S Furnivall
| J.S. Furnivall | |
|---|---|
| Born |
John Sydenham Furnivall 14 February 1878 Great Bentley, Essex, England |
| Died | 7 July 1960 (aged 82) Cambridge, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | JS Furnivall |
| Alma mater |
Trinity Hall, Cambridge University Leiden University |
| Occupation | Civil servant and Southeast Asian scholar |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Ma Nyunt (1902-1920) |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Awards |
Order of Orange-Nassau (1948) Thado Thiri Thudhamma of Burma (1949) |
John Sydenham Furnivall (often cited as JS Furnivall or J.S. Furnivall) was a British-born colonial public servant and writer in Burma. He is credited with coining the concept of the plural society and had a noted career as an influential historian of Southeast Asia, particularly of the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) and British Burma. He published several books over a long career, including the influential Colonial Policy and Practice and wrote for more than 20 major journals, although his work is now criticized as being Eurocentric and biased in favor of continued colonialism.
Furnivall was born on 14 February 1878 in Great Bentley, Essex in England. For secondary schooling, he attended the Royal Medical Benevolent College (now Epsom College). He won a scholarship to Trinity Hall, Cambridge University in 1896. Four years later, in 1899, he obtained a degree in natural science.
In 1901, he joined the Indian Civil Service. He arrived in Burma on 16 December 1902 and took up the appointment of Assistant Commissioner and Settlement Officer. That same year, he wed Margaret Ma Nyunt, a Burmese and native of Taungoo. They had two daughters together, and remained married until her death in 1920.
In 1906, he founded the Burma Research Society, along with other Burmese scholars. Four years later, in 1910, the Society began publishing the Journal of the Burma Research Society. He was made Deputy Commissioner in 1915 and Commissioner of Land Settlement and Records in 1920. He retired from the ICS in 1923. During his career, he was an advocate of education for the native Burmese in order to prepare them for self-rule. In 1924, he founded the Burma Book Club and in 1928, the Burma Education Extension Association. Furnivall returned to England in 1931 to retire. From 1933 to 1935, he studied colonial administration at Leiden University. Following his retirement to Britain, Furnivall became Lecturer in Burmese Language, History and Law at Cambridge University (1936-1941). In 1940, together with C W Dunn, Furnivall published a Burmese-English Dictionary.
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