In this Book

  • Studying Singapore's Past: C.M. Turnbull and the History of Modern Singapore
  • Book
  • edited by Nicholas Tarling
  • 2012
  • Published by: NUS Press Pte Ltd
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summary
C.M. (Mary) Turnbull's contributions to historical writing on Singapore extended from her 1962 thesis, published in 1972 as "The Straits Settlements, 1826-1867: Indian Presidency to Crown Colony", to her magisterial history of Singapore, first published in 1977 and re-issued in 2009 in anupdated edition as A History of Singapore, 1819-2005. Her approach to history involved detailed work with documents and published materials, with a particular focus on political and economic history. One contributor to the present volume described the book as an "exercise in endowing a modern 'nation-state' with a coherent past that should explain the present." As styles in history evolved, younger scholars including some of her former students and colleagues began exploring new approaches to historical research that drew on non-English-language souce material and asked fresh questions of the sources. Mary enjoyed controversy and expected debate, and had a deep interest in these accounts, which were in many ways a natural progression from her own publications even when they raised questions about her interpretations and conclusions. Studying Singapore's Past had its origins in a conference organised to discuss her work. The volume includes ten contributions, some from long-established scholars of Singapore's history, others from a new generation of researchers. Their work offers an evaluation of established understandings of Singapore's history, and gives an indication of new directions that researchers are exploring. In publishing the book, the editor not only pays tribute to a distinguished historian but also seeks to make a contribution to the historiography of Singapore and to ongoing debates about Singapore's past.

Table of Contents

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  1. Half title, title and copyright page
  2. pp. i-iv
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-vi
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  1. Introduction
  2. pp. vii-ix
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  1. Chapter 1: Constance Mary Turnbull 1927-2008: An Appreciation
  2. pp. 1-16
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  1. Chapter 2: Framing Singapore's History
  2. pp. 17-64
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  1. Chapter 3: Mary Turnbull's History Textbook for the Singapore Nation
  2. pp. 65-86
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  1. Chapter 4: The Limitations of Monolingual History
  2. pp. 87-109
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  1. Chapter 5: Historical Sketch of the Settlement of Singapore
  2. pp. 110-124
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  1. Chapter 6: Singapore's Role in Constituting the "Malay" Narrative
  2. pp. 125-145
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  1. Chapter 8: A Colonial Progress: Franklin Gimson in Ceylon, Hong Kong and Singapore
  2. pp. 171-206
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  1. Chapter 9: To Negotiate Trade and Avoid Politics: The Overseas Chinese Trade Missions to China and Taiwan, 1956-1957
  2. pp. 207-227
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  1. Chapter 10: Singapore and Its Neighbours
  2. pp. 228-244
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  1. Bibliography of C.M. Turnbull
  2. pp. 245-247
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  1. Contributors
  2. pp. 248-249
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 250-261
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