Imagining Singapore [Paperback]

Ban Kah Choon (Editor), Anne Pakir (Editor), Tong Chee Kiong (Editor), Kah Choon Ban (Editor), Chee Kiong Tong (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2004

This book explores the unique Singapore experience: its internal landscape, how the landscape came about, was conceived of and conceptualised, and how the imagination played and continues to play an important role in such conceptions. The collected essays, written by a multidisciplinary group of writers -- historians, economists, geographers, political scientists, psychologists, philosophers, and literary specialists -- cover a wide range of topics relating to Singapore society, including historiography, to resource and recreational planning, bilingualism and population management, religion and politics, and gender. A common thread tying together these essays is the mental construction of reality from which thinking proceeds. This new edition features two new essays ('Imagining Freedom' and 'Imagining the Singapore Economy in the Next Lap'), revisions and updates of the original essays and a new preface. READERSHIP: University lecturers, researchers, academics, practitioners, governmental administrators and those interested in sociology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

University lecturers, researchers, academics, practitioners, governmental administrators and those interested in sociology.

About the Author

Ban Kah Choon was Head of the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore and is currently a Visiting Professor at Mahidol University, Thailand. His wide range of published works include Absent History and Rehearsal for War. Anne Pakir is Associate Professor at the Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore and is currently the Deputy Director of the NUS International Relations Office. Her areas of expertise specialises in World Englishes, English in Southeast Asia, and Language Policy and Planning. She is the co-editor of Language, Society and Education in Singapore: Issues and Trends. Anne Pakir, Associate Professor of sociolinguistics and applied linguistics at the Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore, is currently the Deputy Director of the NUS International Relations Office. Tong Chee Kiong is Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore. His research interests include the Chinese in Southeast Asia, Comparative Religious Systems, Civil Religion and Commercial Development, Institutional Foundations of Chinese Business Firms. He is the co-author of The Making of Singapore Sociology: Society and State (with Lian, K. F.) and Alternate Identities: The Chinese of Contemporary Thailand (with Chan, K. B.).

Product Details

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Academic; 2 edition (June 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9812102485
• ISBN-13: 978-9812102485
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,691,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, October 16, 2004

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RamblingLibrarian (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imagining Singapore (Paperback)

The essays are very readable, though some can be very academic (like the one on Singapore leaders). One the whole, I found the collection insightful, especially from a Singaporean's perspective.

For instance, Singapore's policy on Bilingualism in the education policy: Having gone through the Singapore education system, it's a weird but pleasant feeling reading it now and going "So that's why I had to study those subjects in school"). It was also a minor relevation of sorts when reading the essays on the Singapore population policy, the planning of recreational facilities (something I wasn't aware until I read the article), and the issue of a National Identity.

I thought it was interesting to have the article on "Religious Truth and the meaning of life" in this collection. Contrary to my expectation, it's not about politics or the workings of the government (as I thought it would, since the collection of essays are somewhat quite academic in nature). But it's really about philosophy, and increasingly as the Singapore society gets more sophisticated, more and more people would start articulating thoughts of such a nature. Now I bet our forefathers thought about the meaning of life too, but just not presented in this way.

This book would appeal to those who want a deeper insight into the workings of Singapore, and what makes Singapore and Singaporeans tick.