October 26, 2021

As our society matures, social science and humanities research will be increasingly important to understanding issues such as ageing, social mobility, and quality of life. The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in Singapore aims to develop research talent and to support research initiatives in these fields. Recognizing the increasingly central role social science and humanities research will play in society, the Ministry of Education recently announced its plans to boost funding for the Social Science Research Council, ultimately seeking to promote a robust research ecosystem in the social sciences and humanities in Singapore.

Faculty members from the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) have benefited from various SSRC initiatives. Assistant Professor Jack Chia (NUS History) was recently awarded the 2020 Social Science and Humanities Research Fellowship (SSHRF) for his project ‘Diplomatic Dharma: Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia, 1950s – Present’. His project aims to show how Buddhism fosters cultural exchanges and strengthens diplomatic relationships between countries, challenging the commonly held perception that Buddhism is a politically inert entity. Dr Chia seeks to add another dimension to our understanding of Singapore’s strategic interest. In addition, he notes that scholarship in the humanities has the potential to promote interfaith and mutual understanding which in turn, improves social cohesion in Singapore.

Another initiative by the SSRC is the Social Science Research Thematic Grant (SSRTG) which aims to support research in areas that are relevant to the strategic interests of Singapore and Asia. Two projects, whose principal investigators hail from FASS, were awarded the SSRTG in 2019. The first project is ‘Linguistic Markers of Dementia’ led by Professor Bao Zhiming (NUS English Language and Literature). Dementia, which is a general term that refers to an impaired ability to remember, can manifest itself in language and speech patterns. Although there is no cure for dementia, early intervention is crucial in slowing cognitive decline. Prof Bao’s project aims to compile and comb through speech data from Singaporeans to identify telltale signs of dementia. The ability to identify dementia in its early stages enables early intervention in the form of medication and treatment which translates into an improved quality of life for dementia patients in Singapore.

The second project is ‘Ageing and Social Networks: Mapping the Life-Worlds of Older Singaporeans’ led by Associate Professor Elaine Ho (NUS Geography and Asia Research Institute). By using a combination of social network analysis, Geographic Information Science (GIS), and qualitative research, the project seeks to provide insight on the social networks of older adults in Singapore. The size of an individual’s social network and the factors that influence it can indicate their life satisfaction levels and quality of life, which can be used to inform social policy on our shores.

Social science and humanities research can tackle a range of social issues — from improving the quality of life of the country’s ageing population to bolstering Singapore’s understanding of its regional neighbors’ diplomatic decisions and foreign policy. An increasing number of policymakers will turn to insights from these fields to inform future policy decisions.

Read about ‘Diplomatic Dharma: Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia’ here!

Read about ‘Linguistic Markers of Dementia’ here!

Read about ‘Ageing and Social Networks: Mapping the Life-Worlds of Older Singaporeans’ here!