August 6, 2019

Most of us will identify ourselves as Singaporeans, call Singapore our home, and celebrate National Day on 9 August. Dr Theodora Lam (formerly NUS Geography) and Professor Brenda Yeoh (NUS Geography), however, are keen to point out the complexities concerning the idea of a fixed ‘home’ and ‘national identity’ in an increasingly globalized world. Their article “Negotiating ‘home’ and ‘national identity’: Chinese‐Malaysian transmigrants in Singapore” (Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 2004) explains how skilled Chinese-Malaysians living and working in Singapore are active participants of two (or more) countries. About a third of the respondents interviewed define ‘home’ as a place where social relations are formed, revealing a family-centred definition of home instead of a place-based one. A smaller sample identified ‘home’ as a space which is fluid and changes according to their life-course needs. For example, they had a different ‘home’ for career development, employment opportunities, and for retirement. Similarly, the interviews revealed that the idea of ‘national identity’ is different to different people. Due to the time spent residing and working in Singapore, some profess to feel more Singaporean than Malaysian, yet others admit difficulty in defining a fixed ‘national identity’, feeling that they can identify themselves with both countries. Some respondents also recognized the conception of ‘national identity’ pragmatically and identified as Malaysian because they hold Malaysian citizenship. All in all, the study illuminates how the ideas of ‘home’ and ‘national identity’ are not entrenched, carrying distinctive and multiple meanings to different people.

Read the article here.