In Today, Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, Assistant Professor Vincent Chua (both from the NUS Department of Sociology), and Dr Gillian Koh (Institute of Policy Studies), elaborate on the findings of their recent study on social capital in Singapore and discuss how this social class divide can potentially be bridged. They found that the personal …

Social Class Division Exists, But Singapore Is Not Divided Read More »

The inaugural Singapore History Prize has been awarded to Professor John Miksic (NUS Department of Southeast Asian Studies) for his book Singapore and the Silk Road of the Sea, 1300–1800. Supported by findings such as glass shards and bronze bowls painstakingly gathered from 25 years of archaeological research, Prof Miksic presents a compelling case that the history of Singapore began …

Archaeologist awarded inaugural Singapore History Prize Read More »

How do religious festivities shape cultural perceptions of gender? For a few days every year, between January and February, Little India becomes a site for the most celebrated Hindu festival in Singapore, Thaipusam. The streets are blocked for devotees to parade and chant verses for Lord Murugan. Such celebrations help to preserve Hindu traditions amongst …

Gendered Spaces in the Taipucam Festival, Singapore Read More »

Malayalees are natives from Kerala in South India and the second largest sub-group in Singapore’s Indian community after the Tamils. From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community is a 2017 book by Dr Anitha Devi Pillai (alumna of the NUS Department of English Language and Literature) and Dr Puva Arumugam (PhD Deakin …

From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community Read More »

How should Singapore’s stray cats be treated? On January 2015, 8 Purvis Street officially welcomed Singapore’s first cat museum. Named Lion City Kitty: The Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion, the independent museum is housed in a three-storey conserved shop-house. The museum aims to change the community’s attitude towards cats through raising awareness that cats are …

No Room to Swing a Cat? Animal Treatment and Urban Space in Singapore Read More »

With over 100,000 graves, Bukit Brown is the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China. It opened on 1 January 1922 and was acquired by the government after closing in 1973. In 2011, redevelopment plans for Bukit Brown were announced. Housing and a highway would be built on the land instead. This sparked opposition in cyberspace …

Resurgent Spirits of Civil Society Activism: Rediscovering Bukit Brown Cemetery in Singapore Read More »

Singapore is often regarded as the meeting point between the East and West. Prof Brian Farrell, Prof Malcom Murfett (both from the Dept of History), Prof John Miksic (Dept of SEA Studies), and Chiang Ming Shun (Trinity Theological College) try to convey this in Between Two Oceans: Military History of Singapore From 1275 to 1971. …

Between Two Oceans: Military History of Singapore From 1275 to 1971 Read More »

How has Christianity grown as Singapore has urbanized? From megachurches to community centres, the presence of Christianity is undeniable in Singapore. Protestant Christianity has grown in tandem with the urban boom, as evidenced by the imprinting of religious festivities on Singapore’s most commercial location when Orchard Road is festively decorated in the weeks leading up …

Secular Space, Spiritual Community and the Hybrid Urbanisms of Christianity in Hong Kong and Singapore Read More »