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Writing a book is a long journey and I would never have accomplished this work without the support and help of a great many people. I would first like to express my gratitude to all my colleagues at the Department of Social Anthropology, Lund University. In particular I would like to thank Professor Kajsa Ekholm Friedman for opening my eyes to the art of ethnography and the wonders of studying everyday life. I would also like to thank Professor Jonathan Friedman, head of the Department of Social Anthropology , for his genuine engagement with my research and for making anthropology so interesting. Other people who have contributed greatly with constructive criticism and suggestions during research seminars and informal discussions are Steven Sampson, Johnny Persson, Christer Lindberg, Ulf Johansson Dahre, Hanna Wittrock, Anneli Ståhlberg, Susanna Persson, Hilma Holm, Torbjörn Friberg, Maria Milla, Anne Sundberg and Oscar Andersson. I am especially grateful to Johnny Persson for patiently helping me with the figures. I owe a great debt to Professor Geoffrey Benjamin of Nanyang Technological University for his invaluable comments and careful reading of the manuscript. Sincere thanks are likewise due to Dr. Carole Faucher, who acted as my advisor during the main part of my fieldwork in Singapore. I would also like to acknowledge the Swedish School of Advanced AsiaPacific Studies (SSAAPS) for generously funding my research project. I have also benefited enormously from intellectual encounters made possible by conferences and workshops organized by SSAAPS. Generous financial assistance to conduct fieldwork was also provided by the Lars Hierta Memorial Foundation, the Helge Axelsson Johnson Foundation, the Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University, and the Crafoord Foundation. I am very grateful for their generous support. I also wish to thank a number of people who at different times have given me invaluable feedback about my research: professors Thang Leng Leng, Habib Khondker, Wee Wan-Ling, and the late Elisabeth Croll, as well as my friends and colleagues Koh Keng We and Hui Yew Foong. I am grateful to both the Asia Research Institute and the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore for hosting me as an affiliate acknowledgments x : acknowledgments researcher over the different stages of my fieldwork. Thanks are likewise due to the Hokien Huay Kuan Arts & Cultural Troupe, the Singapore Action Group of Elders, and Beyond Social Services. This study could never have been accomplished if not for my generous informants in Singapore. As I came to realize, Singaporeans lead hectic lives, and although I had no right to expect anything from the people I got to know, they invited me into their lives and patiently assisted me in my fieldwork. My thanks have to remain anonymous, but I owe my deepest debt to them. The bond between generations is not only essential to the continuity of human existence, it is also fundamental in the life of every individual, and I am no exception. It therefore feels natural to dedicate this book to my parents , Jan and Anne-Kristine Åkesson. I dare say that what has given me the strength and confidence to pursue my goals in life is their unconditional support. I also wish to thank my dear siblings, Johan, Sara, Susanna, and Gustav, for simply being themselves and being part of my life. Last but not least, I wish to address a very special thanks to Evangelos Fragkoulis for always being there for me and for making life so much brighter. His endless encouragement and assistance during the process of finishing this book means more than I can say. ...

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