“It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism
While differences often threaten ethnonationalist projects, the Singaporean state has rendered a particular configuration of racial-religious diversity constitutive of nationalism in the city-state. In this paper, we approach nationalism through an often-overlooked avenue: intangible heritage such a...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/178948 |
| _version_ | 1824455078994509824 |
|---|---|
| author | Kathiravelu, Laavanya Pandian, Sharad |
| author2 | School of Social Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Social Sciences Kathiravelu, Laavanya Pandian, Sharad |
| author_sort | Kathiravelu, Laavanya |
| collection | NTU |
| description | While differences often threaten ethnonationalist projects, the Singaporean state has rendered a particular configuration of racial-religious diversity constitutive of nationalism in the city-state. In this paper, we approach nationalism through an often-overlooked avenue: intangible heritage such as everyday myths, customs, and taboos. A total of 150 interviews were conducted in three neighbourhoods in Singapore, where guided conversations were conducted regarding common customs, myths, and taboos in individuals’ families and communities. We found that respondents imagined their (state-designated) racial-religious groups as communities of shared customs, while also demonstrating familiarity, even deference, to the customs of other groups. However, this intimacy with other groups’ practices did not undermine the integrity of respondents’ own group identity, since they remained committed to their cultural practices as embodying ancient and useful – even “scientific” – knowledge. The data thus showed that citizens are deeply reflexive about the nature, origins, and justification of the practices they undertake. This domain of everyday practices was neither simply defined into being by the state, nor is it some heroic realm of defiance: instead, it is one where people display creativity and agency in making sense of cherished cultural similarities and differences, all while using state-prescribed categories as resources for their meaning-making. |
| first_indexed | 2025-02-19T03:32:30Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/178948 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-19T03:32:30Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1789482024-07-11T08:23:43Z “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism Kathiravelu, Laavanya Pandian, Sharad School of Social Sciences Social Sciences Singapore Ethnicity While differences often threaten ethnonationalist projects, the Singaporean state has rendered a particular configuration of racial-religious diversity constitutive of nationalism in the city-state. In this paper, we approach nationalism through an often-overlooked avenue: intangible heritage such as everyday myths, customs, and taboos. A total of 150 interviews were conducted in three neighbourhoods in Singapore, where guided conversations were conducted regarding common customs, myths, and taboos in individuals’ families and communities. We found that respondents imagined their (state-designated) racial-religious groups as communities of shared customs, while also demonstrating familiarity, even deference, to the customs of other groups. However, this intimacy with other groups’ practices did not undermine the integrity of respondents’ own group identity, since they remained committed to their cultural practices as embodying ancient and useful – even “scientific” – knowledge. The data thus showed that citizens are deeply reflexive about the nature, origins, and justification of the practices they undertake. This domain of everyday practices was neither simply defined into being by the state, nor is it some heroic realm of defiance: instead, it is one where people display creativity and agency in making sense of cherished cultural similarities and differences, all while using state-prescribed categories as resources for their meaning-making. National Heritage Board This research was enabled by a Heritage Research grant (HRG) entitled “Designing Cultures”. 2024-07-11T08:22:54Z 2024-07-11T08:22:54Z 2024 Journal Article Kathiravelu, L. & Pandian, S. (2024). “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism. Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sena.12416 1473-8481 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/178948 10.1111/sena.12416 2-s2.0-85189088499 en HRG Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism © 2024 Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved. |
| spellingShingle | Social Sciences Singapore Ethnicity Kathiravelu, Laavanya Pandian, Sharad “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism |
| title | “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism |
| title_full | “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism |
| title_fullStr | “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism |
| title_short | “It's purely mutual respect”: cross-cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of Singaporean nationalism |
| title_sort | it s purely mutual respect cross cultural taboos and the everyday reproduction of singaporean nationalism |
| topic | Social Sciences Singapore Ethnicity |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/178948 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kathiravelulaavanya itspurelymutualrespectcrossculturaltaboosandtheeverydayreproductionofsingaporeannationalism AT pandiansharad itspurelymutualrespectcrossculturaltaboosandtheeverydayreproductionofsingaporeannationalism |