‘The conservation-redevelopment dilemma in Singapore: The case of the Kampong Glam historic district’ (Cities, 1996) by Prof Brenda Yeoh and A/P Shirlena Huang (Dept of Geography), discusses the ‘Conservation-Redevelopment’ conflicts that are increasingly gaining prominence in the urban agendas of cities in the developing world. The study examines the role urban conservation plays within the […]

‘Hope Among Terminally Ill Patients in Singapore: An Exploratory Study’ published in Social Work in Health Care (2007), is authored by Dr Rosaleen Ow, Senior Lecturer at the Dept of Social Work, and Mr Ivan Woo Mun Hongan. The paper explores conventionally neglected patients’ definition of hope, factors that cause changes in their hope and […]

This post features a short story by Cyril Wong, who completed his doctoral degree with the NUS Department of English Literature in 2012. Cyril Wong is best known for his style of confessional poetry, which often explores the fragility of human connection and features relentless self-querying as well as brutally candid sexuality. He received the […]

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 […]

‘Jiao Huan’ is featured in A Collection of Micro Novels by Dr Wong Meng Voon (黄孟文微型小说自选集) . Best known for his contributions to the genre of micro-fiction, Wong Meng Voon, who also writes under the pen name Meng Yi (孟毅), became Singapore’s first Chinese-language literature recipient of the Cultural Medallion in 1981. He went on […]

The library is a repository of knowledge and an important pillar for any educational institution. In this reflective essay, ‘Tu Shu Guan’ (图书馆) which means Library, Wong Wai Kit vividly expresses his sentiments about the NUS Library, and characterizes it as the heart and soul of the university. Wong’s experience resonates among us. Wong’s essay […]

‘Making Sense of an Evolving Identity: A Survey of Studies on Identity and Identity Formation among Malay-Muslims in Singapore’ by A/P Khairudin Aljunied (FASS Dept of Malay Studies) was published in Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs in 2006. The article serves as the first extensive survey of studies on Malay identity in Singapore in which A/P Aljunied […]

Dr Arthur Yap Chioh Hiong is a distinguished Singaporean poet. He obtained his MA from the University of Leeds on a British Council Scholarship and his PhD from NUS. In 1971, Yap published his first collection of poems, Only Lines, which later won an award from the National Book Development Council. He went on to […]

‘“Cultural fit”: A new perspective on personality and sojourner adjustment’, published in International Journal of Intercultural Relations (1997) is authored by Prof Colleen Ward, former faculty member, and Dr Weining Chang, Adjunct Professor at Duke-NUS Graduate School of Medicine. The study aims to investigate the influence of “cultural fit” on sojourner adjustment by surveying 139 […]

‘Sonnet to an Arrival: Changi Airtropolis’ comes from the compilation, ‘Singapore: places, poems, paintings’ by Heng Siok Tian. The poem compares Changi’s aviation technology to the myth of Icarus, questioning if Icarus would have thought of the kind of “techno-sophistry” found in Changi. At the same time, the poem discusses the sacrifices that had to […]