November 25, 2021

On November 23, Dr Mathew Mathews (NUS Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Head of Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Social Lab) moderated the IPS-RSIS Conference on Identity. The key points of the panel discussion were shared in ‘Six views on identities and diversity’ (The Straits Times, 2021).

Professor Vineeta Sinha (NUS Department of Sociology) asserted that when discussing issues of diversity in Singapore, one should go beyond race and religion and consider concepts such as gender, political orientation, and class interests, and how these different facets of identity intersect in each person. Differences should be accepted as normal and natural, and not something one needs to be worried about or manage. She also touched on the importance of building a Singapore society where people are committed to letting others express themselves, even if they are not part of the same community.

Other speakers featured in the panel discussion were Professor Joseph Liow (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies), Professor David Chan (SMU Psychology), Ms Corinna Lim (Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)), Mr Sharvesh Leatchmanan (Co-founder and editor of Minority Voices), and Mr Ng Yi-Sheng, a writer.

Read the article here.