Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
1-2012
Abstract
This paper focuses on the pivotal role played by the state in refashioning the Chinatown landscape as part of both nation-building and heritage tourism projects, and the ensuing cultural politics. After a brief history of the creation of Singapore’s Chinatown, the paper discusses, first, Chinatown’s place in Singapore’s post-independence nation-building project and, second, the reconfiguration of the Chinatown landscape as a tourism asset. The final section reflects on the changing politics of place as Chinatown gains legitimacy in state discourses on heritage, tourism and multiculturalism, as well as in the popular imagination as an ethnic precinct par excellence.
Keywords
Ethnic Enclave, Historic District, Politics of Place, Nation-Building, Heritage Tourism, Singapore
Discipline
Asian Studies | Human Geography | Urban Studies
Research Areas
Humanities
Publication
Localities
Volume
2
First Page
117
Last Page
159
Citation
Yeoh, Brenda S. A., & KONG, Lily.(2012). Singapore’s Chinatown: Nation building and heritage tourism in a multiracial city. Localities, 2, 117-159.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2250
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.