Kingdom of Words

Kingdom of Words is the first detailed analysis of royal authority in the central Sumatran kingdom of Minangkabau between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries. The book examines the language of kingship and the practice of royal signs in Sumatra. Authoritative works, it is argued, were a crucial source of empowerment to local communities in a period of change and external challenge.

A Kingdom of Words is the first detailed analysis of royal authority in the central Sumatran kingdom of Minangkabau between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries. The book examines the language of kingship and the practice of royal signs in Sumatra. Authoritative works, it is argued, were a crucial source of empowerment to local communities in a period of change and external challenge.