Responding to Globalization: Nation, Culture and Identity in Singapore

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

Responding to Globalization The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was established as an autonomous organization in 1968. It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute’s research programmes are the Regional Economic Studies (RES, including ASEAN and APEC), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). ISEAS Publishing, an established academic press, has issued almost 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publishing works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world. 00 Nation_Culture Prelims 7/4/07, 12:55 PM 2 Responding to Globalization Nation, Culture and Identity in Singapore SELVARAJ VELAYUTHAM INSTITUTE OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES SINGAPORE First published in Singapore in 2007 by ISEAS Publishing Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Pasir Panjang Singapore 119614 E-mail: publish@iseas.edu.sg Website: http:/ //bookshop.iseas.edu.sg All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.© 2007 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore The responsibility for facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the author and his interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of the publishers or their supporters. ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Velayutham, Selvaraj. Responding to globalization : nation, culture and identity in Singapore. 1. National characteristics, Singapore. 2. Values—Singapore. 3. Social values—Singapore. 4. Singapore—Politics and government—1990– 5. Globalization—Social aspects—Singapore. 6. Globalization—Political aspects—Singapore. 7. City-states—Singapore. 8. Singapore—Cultural policy. I. Title. DS610 V43 2007 ISBN 978-981-230-420-9 (soft cover) ISBN 978-981-230-421-6 (hard cover) ISBN 978-981-230-717-0 (PDF) Photo Credit: Photograph on front cover reproduced with kind permission of Marcus Oleniuk. Typeset by Superskill Graphics Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Utopia Press Pte Ltd 00 Nation_Culture Prelims 7/4/07, 12:55 PM 4 For my parents, Velayutham and Rajamani & my wife, Amanda Wise 00 Nation_Culture Prelims 7/4/07, 12:55 PM 5 ...