We would like to congratulate Assistant Professor Lin Weiqiang (NUS Department of Geography) and Associate Professor Irene Ng (NUS Department of Social Work) on being awarded the inaugural Social Science and Humanities Research (SSHR) Fellowship and Social Science Research Thematic Grant (SSRTG) respectively. The SSHR fellowship was launched in August 2018 as the Social Science Research Council (SSRC)’s first […]

It was only in 1960 that Singapore managed to call itself a sovereign nation and dedicate a day of celebration for independence from colonial rulers. From 1960 to 1963, Singapore celebrated its National Day on 3rd June to commemorate the day it gained self-governance in 1959. The first National Day Parade held on 9th August […]

On 5 March 2019, Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung announced the new Ministry of Education (MOE) move to remove streaming of students by academic ability in secondary schools by 2024, in a bid to encourage greater social equality among secondary school students. Dr Kelvin Seah Kah Cheng (NUS Department of Economics) in his commentary […]

In line with the Bicentennial, the National Library Board (NLB) and the Singapore Bicentennial Office jointly published Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore (Marshall Cavendish, 2019). The book is a revamped version of the 2009 edition, and is currently the only single volume that covers 700 years of Singapore’s history. Moreover, it represents 30 […]

Is the Kampong Spirit still alive? The Housing Development Board (HDB) is responsible for the provision of public housing in Singapore, which serves over 80% of the population. In an effort to encourage bonding and friendliness among neighbours, HDB has organized initiatives such as HDB Community Week, which was held this year on 25 and […]

What are the complexities in planning for Singapore’s National Education modules? On 17 May 1997, then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched the National Education programme, which aimed to foster national cohesion and cultivate a sense of belonging, pride, and patriotism among students and younger Singaporeans. Subsequently, Singapore’s universities were instructed to include National […]

Emeritus Professor Edwin Thumboo from the NUS Department of English Language and Literature was recently featured in The Straits Times for his latest poetry collection, A Gathering of Themes (Ethos Books, 2019). Prof Thumboo is one of Singapore’s foremost pioneer poets, and has achieved several accolades such as the first Cultural Medallion for literature and […]

How did the Indian ‘untouchable’ disappear from Singapore? India’s caste system is an ancient one, and still has ramifications today. However, despite the sizable minority of Indians in modern Singapore, many of whom were of the lowest ‘untouchable’ caste, both the system and its accompanying prejudices appear to have vanished. In A Subaltern History of […]

Here are the photos from last Tuesday’s Joint Book Launch. Thank you for coming and making it a great session! See you at our next Book Launch in the Fall Semester!

In a joint book launch on 7 May 2019, the issues of transnational migration and marriage in India, China, and Singapore came together with the release of Citizens in Motion: Emigration, Immigration, and Re-migration (2019, Stanford University Press) by Associate Professor Elaine Ho (NUS Department of Geography) and Marrying for a Future: Transnational Sri Lankan […]