News

Tamil migrants in colonial Malaya 1930s–1950s

October 28, 2019

Deepavali, the festival of lights, is one of the most notable Hindu festivals celebrated around the world. In Singapore, it is mainly celebrated by Tamils, a majority of whom identify as Hindu. In ‘Tamil migrants in colonial Malaya 1930s–1950s’ (South Asian Diaspora, 2017), Associate Professor Narayanan Ganapathy (NUS Sociology) and Professor Lian Kwen Fee (Universiti …

Tamil migrants in colonial Malaya 1930s–1950s Read More »

One for the Books: Singapore’s need for an open-minded, global citizenry

October 24, 2019

In view of the recent Singapore Bicentennial, the Singapore International Foundation interviews Professor Tan Tai Yong, (NUS History), on the topics of national identity, global citizenry, international affairs, and multiculturalism. Prof Tan is also a co-author of Singapore: a 700-Year History – From Early Emporium to World City (2019).  As Prof Tan gleans from our …

One for the Books: Singapore’s need for an open-minded, global citizenry Read More »

Forests and ecocultural disequilibrium in two postcolonial novels from Cameroon and Singapore

October 22, 2019

Over the years, the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF), held this year from 1 to 10 November, has become an exciting meeting point for writers, academics, and thinkers across the world. In the same spirit, Associate Professor Chitra Sankaran from the NUS Department of English Language and Literature teamed up with Dr John Nkengasong from the …

Forests and ecocultural disequilibrium in two postcolonial novels from Cameroon and Singapore Read More »

Singapore and its relations with a new South-east Asia

October 21, 2019

In an editorial in The Straits Times, University Professor Wang Gungwu (NUS Department of History) discusses the historical Singapore psyche, which encompasses feelings of separation from its Malay hinterland and connection to the more distant China, and suggests that a rethinking is needed to facilitate the strengthening of Singapore’s relations with the Association of Southeast …

Singapore and its relations with a new South-east Asia Read More »

Drone cameras and social media pages, how religion keeps up with the digital age

October 15, 2019

In an editorial in Channel NewsAsia, Assistant Professor Alvin Lim Eng Hui (NUS Department of English Language and Literature) discusses the increasing penetration of new media and digital technology into Singapore’s religious landscape, and its resulting benefits and challenges. Many religions and its followers have leveraged on new media platforms to broaden their reach and …

Drone cameras and social media pages, how religion keeps up with the digital age Read More »

Success/failure condition influences attribution of control, negative affect, and shame among patients with depression in Singapore

October 14, 2019

The World Health Organization designates the 10th of October as World Mental Health Day with the aim of educating people on mental health issues, and allowing stakeholders tackling such issues to share their work with the public. Not only is it important to increase awareness of mental health issues, it is also paramount to understand …

Success/failure condition influences attribution of control, negative affect, and shame among patients with depression in Singapore Read More »

Singapore’s shifting roles through the centuries

October 11, 2019

The study of Singapore’s history across the past 700 years reveals key continuities and discontinuities. In an editorial in The Straits Times, Associate Professor Peter Borschberg (NUS Department of History) highlights two insights from Singapore’s distant past – firstly, Singapore was and remains a contested space and secondly, Singapore had shifting roles across the centuries. …

Singapore’s shifting roles through the centuries Read More »

S-E Asia must remain diverse and multicultural

October 10, 2019

On 1 October, the final day of the Singapore Bicentennial Conference, National University of Singapore academics expressed their worries over Southeast Asia’s widening inequality between rich elites and millions of poor. Professor Brenda Yeoh (NUS Department of Geography) acknowledged the growing diversity in the region, as evidence by the increasing number of marriages between Singaporeans …

S-E Asia must remain diverse and multicultural Read More »

Lessons from Syed Hussein Alatas

October 9, 2019

The late Professor Syed Hussein Alatas, internationally renowned Malaysian social scientist and also the first Head of Department of the NUS Department of Malay Studies, was honoured on 17 September 2019 at the Second Syed Hussein Alatas Memorial Lecture. During the lecture, Professor Tommy Koh (NUS Faculty of Law) highlighted four facets of Prof Alatas’ …

Lessons from Syed Hussein Alatas Read More »

What economics predicts about pre-school fees after subsidies

October 8, 2019

In September, one month after enhanced subsidies for childcare were announced at the National Day Rally, the Early Childhood Development Agency announced that one-fifth of childcare centres in Singapore (which is 330 of them) would be raising full-day childcare fees due to rising costs. Parents worried that the fee increases would negate the subsidies, which …

What economics predicts about pre-school fees after subsidies Read More »