News
In ‘NUS professor works in ryokan for a year, offers behind-the-scenes look at Japan’s iconic inns in new book’ (The Straits Times, May 2023), Associate Professor Chris McMorran (NUS Japanese Studies) discusses his book, Ryokan: Mobilizing Hospitality in Rural Japan (University of Hawaii Press, 2022), and details his experiences from his stint as a ryokan employee …
The news segment ‘Push for flexible work arrangements as fertility rate hits record low ‘ (Channel NewsAsia, May 2023) discusses the Singapore government’s urge for employers and workers to adopt flexible working arrangements to make it easier for working adults to start and raise families. This was an issue discussed at a conference titled ‘Building …
Push for flexible work arrangements as fertility rate hits record low Read More »
Loneliness amongst seniors is increasingly recognised as an issue of pressing importance to public health. Dr Ad Maulod (Duke-NUS Medical School Centre for Ageing Research and Education) and Associate Professor Angelique Chan (Duke-NUS Medical School Centre for Ageing Research and Education & NUS Sociology and Anthropology) discuss salient causes of loneliness amongst the elderly in …
Old and lonely after a successful career, and even when living with family Read More »
According to Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser (NUS Sociology & Anthropology and IPS Social Lab) and Ms Sim Kai Lin (IPS Social Lab), Singapore imagines itself as a middle-class society. In ‘Why does everyone think they are middle class?’ (Straits Times, May 2023), they answer the titular question and provide some solutions to the pains …
On May 27 1988, the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system was passed into law. GRCs have to be contested by multi-member teams with at least one member from the minority races. While the government maintains that GRCs help ensure racial representation, some have criticised it for straining the opposition’s talent pool due to the additional …
The Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre was officially opened on 19 May 2017, with the express mission to nurture Singapore Chinese culture and enhance social harmony. On the academic front, however, Associate Professor Xu Lanjun (NUS Chinese Studies) argues that there is a lack of knowledge in Chinese Studies about non-elite cultures. Specifically, the study of …
Chinese Popular Cultures in Post-War Singapore and Malaya (1945–1965) Read More »
Stepping into a home, being greeted by an unfamiliar but friendly face and escorted to the dining room – this is what you usually expect at the start of a private home dining (PHD). In Singapore, PHD refers to a setting where guests enter the homes of amateur chefs for a shared experiential meal. Given …
No taste like home: geographies of private home dining Read More »
You have seen them around: food delivery riders on mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs ferrying food across Singapore’s streets and malls. In 2021, I had the opportunity to meet Adam and nineteen other individuals with disabilities to discuss their firsthand experiences in this line of work. Adam, born with cerebral palsy, arrived to the interview …
CNM’s Dr Renyi Hong on Disability and Food Couriers in Singapore Read More »
Mother’s Day is celebrated on 14 May in 2023. Studies have shown that among the financially disadvantaged, women are more vulnerable to a public health emergency, and those with children suffered more severe mental health issues during COVID-19 lockdowns. Whether poor mothers in Singapore have encountered similar difficult times during the pandemic is an important …
Support for the disadvantaged and vulnerable segments of Singaporean society has long been an issue of great importance. In response to recent parliamentary debates on this issue, Associate Professor Irene Y H Ng (NUS Social Work & Social Service Research Centre (SSR)), Senior Lecturer Dr Ong Ee Cheng (NUS Economics, SSR), and their co-author Michael …
Reimagining Workfare to Uplift Low-Wage Families Read More »