Roshini D/O Erlapasamy (Ms)

Proposed Thesis Title:  The Role of Memory, Propaganda and Open Internment in the Making of the Singaporean Eurasian History During and After Bahau
Supervisor: Associate Professor Maitrii Aung-Thwin

I’m a recent graduate from Nanyang Technological University (B.A in Double Major - English Literature and History (Distinction)) and have spent the past 3 years rabbit-holing into a specific aspect of the history of the Eurasian community in Singapore. This led me to writing my Honors thesis titled “Internment camp or not: the status of Bahau settlement during the war, 1943-1945.” While I have accomplished my initial goal in establishing the status of the Bahau settlement, I hope to push this topic further in my MA journey. Focusing on the idea of (fractured) memory versus published propaganda and ‘open’ internment, my research aims to shed light and paint a more comprehensive picture on what the villagers of Bahau had lived through. I also hope to connect this idea of ‘open’ internment to other such camps around the world to better understand how they duped innocent people into walking straight into captivity.

What started as an attempt to write on an unpopular and obscure enough topic related to Singapore’s History during my undergraduate years in hopes of an easy grade, has led me to what I hope will be a lifelong career in collecting, preserving and re-remembering lesser known histories.

When I’m not studying, you can find me annoying my beloved pets, being tricked by Instagram reels to try viral cafes and collecting enough Hello Kitty merchandise to start a museum.