Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
submittedVersion
Publication Date
4-2022
Abstract
This paper considers how two facets of identity – religion and class – are performed, (re)produced and negotiated within the spaces of the Christian school, home and church in Singapore. We show how the social structuring of one space can inform and influence the structuring of another. Spaces of Christianity in Singapore tend to be mutually reinforcing, strengthening the linkages between religion and class, and in particular reifying the position of Christianity as a religion of the privileged classes. However, the ways in which Christian spaces are reified can become problematic when space is in fact shared with less privileged groups, such as Christians from lower socio-economic classes, and foreign domestic workers. In such instances, the interlinked spaces of Christian privilege and position can cause differences within the community to become points of negotiation and compromise. As a result, they can lead to the social (re)positioning of individuals, and the reproduction of both inclusionary and exclusionary forms of religious citizenship.
Keywords
Christianity, class, identity, interlinked spaces, positioning, Singapore
Discipline
Asian Studies | Religion | Sociology of Religion
Research Areas
Humanities
Publication
City
Volume
26
Issue
2-3
First Page
373
Last Page
384
ISSN
1360-4813
Identifier
10.1080/13604813.2022.2055927
Publisher
Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Citation
WOODS, Orlando, & KONG, Lily.(2022). Class(ify)ing Christianity in Singapore: Tracing the interlinked spaces of privilege and position. City, 26(2-3), 373-384.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3574
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/10.1080/13604813.2022.2055927