Changing Covenants: Sociolinguistic Mobilities and the Transgenerational Discursivities of the Convent in the Malaysian Cultural Imaginary

Shanthini Pillai, Angeline Wong Wei Wei, Joanna Tan Tjin Ai

Abstract


The convents of Malaysia, founded by the Sisters of the Infant Jesus—emboldened women who journeyed across the seas from 19th-century France—hold profound cultural and historical importance. Rooted in their mission of faith, charity and outreach, the convent schools transformed into dynamic centres of learning that bridged linguistic and cultural divides. While initially dedicated to promoting educational egalitarianism among the less fortunate, the convents gradually adapted to local contexts, shaping identities and nurturing generations of young women. The image of the "convent girl," characterised by intellectual refinement and social poise, became emblematic of the elite status associated with these schools. Convents stand as rich emblems of the complexities of mobility, cultural adaptation, and education in Malaysia's history, given their French foundations in a British protectorate in South East Asia. What was the impact of travel and mobility on the cultural ideology of the French convent and its founders?  In what ways did the transplantation of French convents into British colonial environments lead to a simultaneous transformation and estrangement in communal perceptions of the Sisters of the Infant Jesus as well as their convents? How did the mobility factor contribute to the shift from the original mission of educational egalitarianism to the creation and perpetuation of the trope of the elite 'convent girl' identity? To delve into the heart of this matter, we use, as our research corpus, three Malaysian texts written by three "convent girls" across time and the transgenerational discursivities of the convent. We especially interrogate the cultural materiality of central tropes tied to the image of the convent in the hope of dismantling the monoliths of elitist discursivities and bringing to the fore the pluralities that lie hidden deep within its grains.

 

Keywords: Linguistic mobilities; convents; French female Missionaries; transgenerational discursivities; elitist tropes


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/3L-2025-3103-25

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