January 22, 2019

On 29 January 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore, marking an important moment in the island’s gradual development into a nation. Singapore’s history has frequently been summarised as being a booming trading port due to its strategic geographical position in the 14th century and becoming a British colony in 1819. Yet in the gap between these time periods lies a lull in trade, a puzzling phenomenon many historians continue to try to explain.

While some authors have turned to ancient and early modern texts for references to Singapore, others have tried to string narratives bridging pre- and post-1800 perceptions of Singapore. Adjunct Associate Professor Kwa Chong Guan and Associate Professor Peter Borschberg (NUS Department of History) have compiled a volume of studies that brings together various 20th century attempts by academics to reconstruct Singapore’s “missing years”.

Studying Singapore Before 1800 (NUS Press, 2018) seeks to answer the question of what happened to Singapore before British colonial rule. The volume is an ambitious effort at building a richer understanding of pre-1800 Singapore. It offers insights into the relevance of classics such as the Sejarah Melayu in imagining Singapore’s past, as well as presenting many hard to find articles, two of which have been translated from Dutch to English for the first time.

Find out more about Studying SIngapore Before 1800 here.