News

Photo: ‘Beijing, Tiananmen Square’ by wattallan594

Revolutionary Cosmopolitanism and its Limits

July 8, 2021

  The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) celebrated its 100th anniversary on 1st July 2021. The world’s second largest political party commemorated the special occasion with national celebrations in Tiananmen Square in Beijing where Mao Zedong, the chairman of the party at the time, proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Since the founding …

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Digital Citizenship Among Southeast Asian Youths

July 6, 2021

On 14 July 1973, The Presidential Council for Minority Rights (PCMR) was established in Singapore to safeguard minority interests in the country. Since then, the PCMR has been responsible for ensuring that no legislative measures discriminate against any minority race or religion, or act simply in the interest of the majority. However, the public discourse …

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Venerable-Hong-Choon-photo-courtesy-of-Venerable-Hong-Choon-Museum-KMSPKS

Buddhism in Singapore-China Relations: Venerable Hong Choon and His Visits, 1982-1990

July 2, 2021

Existing literature on Singapore-China relations since the reopening of China in the late 1970s has generally been based on political relations and economic and trade co-operation, with no existing literature having explored the role of religion or Buddhism in particular. In “Buddhism in Singapore-China Relations: Venerable Hong Choon and His Visits, 1982 – 1990” (The …

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Reframing the Malay Past in Singapore’s History

July 1, 2021

In “Reframing the Malay Past in Singapore’s History” (from Beyond Bicentennial Perspectives on Malays, published in July 2020), Associate Professor Sher Banu A.L. Khan (NUS Department of Malay Studies) writes about how Singapore’s history should be traced back to the 14th century, rather than only from 1918, which the PAP elite identified as the beginning of …

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Writing on the Wall: Street Art in Graffiti-free Singapore

June 29, 2021

The annual Singapore Street Festival Exhibition (SSF) aims to celebrate the youth community and is usually held between June and July. Events involving street art in SSF are especially interesting because the Singapore government has traditionally opposed street art and graffiti. In ‘Writing on the Wall: Street Art in Graffiti-free Singapore’ (International Journal of Urban …

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Venerable Hong Choon and the Inter-Religious Organisation in China

Diplomatic Dharma: Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia

June 26, 2021

One month ago on 26 May, 2021, many Buddhists living in Singapore celebrated Vesak Day, which marks the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha. Vesak Day occurs on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, which typically falls in May. In Singapore, a street procession takes place in the evening of Vesak Day …

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Recognising the roots of racism in Singapore

June 23, 2021

In “Recognising the roots of racism in Singapore” (AcademiaSG, 2021), Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian (NUS Department of Political Science) discusses the recent incidents of racial discrimination that have occurred in Singapore and the media’s varied responses towards them. He outlines the definition and history of Critical Race Theory and how certain media outlets have …

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Better Outcomes for Families when Dads take Paternity Leave

June 23, 2021

  The Straits Times recently featured a study spearheaded by Professor Jean Yeung (NUS Sociology and Centre for Population Research) and Ms. Li Nanxun, a sociology doctoral candidate. Data from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development (SG Leads) Study was used to examine the effects of paternity leave on family outcomes. According to the study, children …

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Raising bilingual children is challenging but immensely rewarding

June 23, 2021

Knowing our mother tongue allows us to make valuable connections to our extended family, personal history, and culture. However, raising multilingual children can be challenging for many families. Growing up, children tend to gravitate towards the language of their peers and larger community. In Singapore, that language is English, which is not only the dominant …

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Foreign labour shortages in construction sector is a wake-up call for change

June 23, 2021

In a commentary published by Channel News Asia, Dr Kelvin Seah Kah Cheng (NUS Department of Economics) writes about the overreliance on low-skilled foreign labour in the construction sector. The recent COVID-19 pandemic exposed the flaws of this strategy after a large portion of construction workers last year fell ill, causing delays in the construction …

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