Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
3-1997
Abstract
In this paper, we adopt the view that 'nation' and 'national identity' are social constructions, created to serve ideological ends. We discuss this in the specific empirical context of Singapore's National Day parades. By drawing on officially produced souvenir programmes and magazines, newspaper reports, and interviews with participants and spectators, we analyse the parades between 1965 and 1994, showing how, as an annual ritual and landscape spectacle, the parades succeed to a large extent in creating a sense of awe, wonderment and admiration. Discussion focuses on four aspects of the celebrations: the site of the parades, their display and theatricality, the composition and involvement of parade participants, and parade themes. We also discuss some examples of alternative readings of parade meanings, illustrating how ideological hegemony is not total.
Keywords
National Day, parades, Singapore, national identity
Discipline
Asian Studies | Human Geography | Social Influence and Political Communication | Sociology of Culture
Research Areas
Humanities
Publication
Political Geography
Volume
16
Issue
3
First Page
213
Last Page
239
ISSN
0962-6298
Identifier
10.1016/0962-6298(95)00135-2
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
Kong, Lily, & Yeoh, Brenda S. A..(1997). The Construction of National Identity through the Production of Ritual and Spectacle: An Analysis of National Day Parades in Singapore. Political Geography, 16(3), 213-239.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1746
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/0962-6298(95)00135-2
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Human Geography Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons