New racial harmony bill: finally, the end of a colonial-era framework is in sight
CHERIAN GEORGE explains why the proposed Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act could be a progressive move, if interpreted and applied well.
Category: Academic Views
Who is NUS trying to protect? Political leaders need to answer
Only ministers can answer whether NUS is right or wrong in its judgment that there will be a political price to pay if university administrators do not properly screen “controversial” or “sensitive” events.
“At his mercy?” Implications of Trump’s policies for Singapore’s economy
LINDA LIM (University of Michigan) explains the risks and uncertainties facing Singapore and why these make a rethink of its economic model more urgent.
Rethinking Singapore’s economic model
Economists LINDA LIM and PANG ENG FONG welcome Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s call for a “major reset” in Singapore’s policies. They argue that the country’s “extensive growth model” is inefficient, inequitable and unsustainable.
Islamic feminism and gender justice: more relevant than ever in an era of rising conservatism and authoritarianism
MOHAMED IMRAN MOHAMED TAIB and NURUL FADIAH JOHARI discuss the deep and distinguished roots of women’s rights in the Islamic tradition. This article is an edited excerpt of their chapter in the book, Why Not? Thinking About Singapore’s Tomorrow, published by World Scientific.
Patriarchy and politics: Censorship of the letter
MATILDA GABRIELPILLAI traces the ups and downs of Singapore women’s movement. This article is an edited excerpt of her chapter in the book, Why Not? Thinking About Singapore’s Tomorrow, newly published by World Scientific.
Want to shift mindsets? Put a value to household work
EUSTON QUAH and TAN JUN RUI argue that proper accounting for the value of household production would help the government devise policies more responsive to people’s needs.
Contested shrines: Keramat in Singapore’s Tomorrowland
WILLIAM GIBSON, author of the first scholarly book-length work on keramat in Singapore, explains the often‑tense relationship between keramat and authority, both secular and religious, from colonial to modern times.
Junior Scholar Seminar: Notions of death in 1950s Malay magazines
Cultural historian Pow Jun Kai is our third presenter for 2024. His presentation focuses on the circulation of knowledge about death and its eschatology in Malay print publications of the 1950s.
AcademiaSG submission to the UN special rapporteur on the right to education
For her report to the Human Rights Council on academic freedom, the Special Rapporteur invited contributions from