November 29, 2021

Contrary to the narratives propagated by popular history, Singapore’s story predates the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. Unfortunately, a significant portion of what is known about Singapore in the 19^th century before it was colonized by the British is often fragmented and scattered. This changed after the arrival of the British on its shores. As a new colony under the administration of the British in the 19^th century, Singapore’s development was well-documented. This is attributed to the fact that the British colonial administration relied on comprehensive recordkeeping systems in colonial capitals and district administrations.

In Lion City Narratives: Singapore Through Western Eyes (World Scientific, 2021), Dr Victor Savage (formerly NUS Geography) distils decades of contemporary writings and recordkeeping to find distinct Western perspectives about Singapore as an island in the Malay World from 1819 – 1963. He aims to give a broad overview and account of how Western residents viewed Singapore and how these perspectives changed over time. Using these perspectives to frame the historical context that Singapore found itself embedded in, Dr Savage explores how settlements in the island formed and transformed as Singapore progressed and investigates the local culture that developed from the everyday encounters between transient visitors and settlers.

With its focus on subjective Western accounts of Singapore, the book captures the opinions and perspectives of Westerners that found themselves in Singapore both as transient visitors to the tropics and as part of the local population on the island. Lion City Narratives: Singapore Through Western Eyes provides a comprehensive overview to Singapore’s colonial past, predating its dramatic development towards its status as a first world country.

Read the book here!