{"id":25709,"date":"2021-08-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/?p=25709"},"modified":"2021-08-04T17:30:59","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T09:30:59","slug":"singaporean-rootedness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2021\/08\/10\/singaporean-rootedness\/","title":{"rendered":"Singaporean Rootedness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: \u2018Nascent Singaporean\u2019 from SRN\u2019s SG Photobank<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

National Day, which marks Singapore\u2019s 1965 independence from Malaysia, is celebrated in Singapore every 9 August. The topic of nationhood is taken up through the lens of rootedness, in \u201cSingaporean Rootedness: Taking Stock and Moving Forward\u201d, a chapter in Singapore Perspectives 2009: The Heart of the Matter <\/em>(World Scientific, 2009). A\/P Tan Ern Ser (NUS Department of Sociology) examines the concept of rootedness in the context of the nation, especially where national survival and well-being is concerned. He associates rootedness with identity, a sense of belonging, and an emotional attachment. A strong rootedness to a place is thus characterised by a sense of community, of feeling like we are among friends and people who care for us, and a citizenship that sees a willingness to help and engage in building a better future.<\/p>\n

A\/P Tan believes that rootedness comes about when people can have a decent quality of life and well-being for themselves and their children. He suggests that when a sense of security and comfort is achieved, people will move from a self-interested position to one which prompts care and concern of the larger good of the community. He adds that a stronger sense of rootedness can also be built with a more affirming and encouraging culture.<\/p>\n

The essay lays out several hypotheses on some possible barriers and facilitators to the development of rootedness in Singapore. Firstly, the over-emphasis on meritocracy and self-reliance has created an environment where Singaporeans feel like they are on their own. Secondly, the emphasis on market relations conveys a message that appears to value Singaporeans more through their economic contributions than as citizens. Thirdly, Singapore lacks a culture of affirmation, which is often dismissive of small successes; this calls for a broader definition of success and contribution. Fourthly, A\/P Tan urges Singapore to think of itself less as an economy, and more as a nation and a community. Finally, the chapter addresses Singapore\u2019s ostensibly low tolerance of differences, advocating for the acceptance of people with different viewpoints and ideas.<\/p>\n

If anything, the chapter recognises that the global mobility of Singaporeans brings to light questions of home and rootedness, and of where acceptance and security can be found. A\/P Tan concludes by commenting on the issue of foreign talent in Singapore, asserting that Singaporeans will demonstrate a generosity towards new citizens, PRs, and foreigners if and when they feel a sense of rootedness in their own country.<\/p>\n

Learn more about the book here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Day, which marks Singapore\u2019s 1965 independence from Malaysia, is celebrated in Singapore every 9 August. The topic of nationhood is taken up through the lens of rootedness, in \u201cSingaporean Rootedness: Taking Stock and Moving Forward\u201d, a chapter in Singapore Perspectives 2009: The Heart of the Matter (World Scientific, 2009). A\/P Tan Ern Ser (NUS […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":247,"featured_media":25710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4529],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/247"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25709"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29471,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25709\/revisions\/29471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}