August 10, 2016

Singapore celebrated its 51st National Day on 9th August 2016 and we were all treated to the spectacular National Day Parade. What is the significance of organizing this annual parade? Prof Lily Kong (Provost’s Chair Professor, Dept of Geography) investigates this question in a 2007 article, “Civil Religion and the Invention of Traditions: Constructing ‘The Singapore Nation’” published in the Journal for the Academic Study of Religion. Drawing on the concept of civil religion, Prof Lily Kong argues that National Day Parades are state attempts to construct a sense of community and identity. Even for those who are not Singaporeans, this article will be relevant as many countries organise their own forms of national day parades.

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