We, the Citizens of Singapore: Multi-Ethnicity, Its Evolution and Its Aberrations

Publication Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

1-2004

Abstract

The paper examines the conception and evolution of multi-ethnicity in Singapore and attempts to distill the thematic essence of state policy towards multi-ethnicity in the light of the imperatives of a sophisticated, authoritarian developmental state. It evaluates the aberrations of the multi-ethnic policy, which contributes towards heightened ethnic consciousness and generates competing concerns of cultural and ethnic security, especially among the Malay/Muslim indigenous minority who have also manifested increased religiosity. The international politico-economic dynamics arising from the rise of China and the regional geopolitical sensitivities of being at the heart of the Malay-Muslim world is examined for its impact on the ethnic relations. The challenge is to engender political unity while preserving cultural diversity within the framework of hegemonic state-led discourse of “controlled ethnicity”.

Keywords

Ethnicity, ethnic relations, cultural pluralism, Singapore

Discipline

Asian Studies | Law and Race | Law and Society

Publication

Beyond rituals and riots: Ethnic pluralism and social cohesion in Singapore

Editor

Lai Ah Eng

First Page

65

Last Page

97

ISBN

9789812102720

Publisher

Eastern Universities Press

City or Country

Singapore

Comments

Based on paper presented at Institute of Policy Studies Conference, Singapore, 2002

Additional URL

https://worldcat.org/isbn/9789812102720

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