Asian Studies Commons^™

Rethinking The Inclusionary Potential Of Religious Institutions: The Case Of Gurdwaras In Singapore, Siew Ying Shee, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Whilst Singapore’s Sikh community is relatively small, it is also heterogeneous. Its diversity reflects differences in ancestral and socio-economic backgrounds. As spaces of worship that regularly bring together the Sikh community in space and time, Sikh temples—gurdwaras––are often conceived as important places through which a shared sense of religiously-defined community is reproduced. Yet, as much as religion can provide a bridge that integrates people of different ethnic, racial, national, and linguistic groups into a single faith community, so too can it act as a buttress through which differences and divisions are enforced within the community. We argue that whilst gurdwaras …

Lion City Zoopolis: Urban Crittizenship In Biophilic Singapore, George Wong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

A central theme of Singapore’s “City in Nature” vision is framed through biophilic urbanism, or efforts to harmonize biodiversity and urban development through built, social, and political design. The central discourses of Singapore’s biophilic urbanism have revolved around flora-centric paradigms, including habitat conservation, greening spaces, and access to natural capital. This paper detours from conventions of Singapore’s urban ecological futures and instead explores the governance of fauna co- existence in the city–state through the concept of “urban crittizenship.” Defined as a more-than-human denization framework that interrogates urban wildlife governance, urban crittizenship interrogates the politics of urban wildlife’s rights to the …

Whither India’S Development: Toward Being A Super Power Or A Super Civilization?, Pradip Khandwalla

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This commentary was triggered by my reading a lecture delivered by Saurabh Kumar, a former student of mine at Indian Institute of Management, who later served as India’s ambassador in various countries and international bodies. He bemoaned that China had much greater status in global affairs than India. Many others in India hanker for a super power status for India. I find this concern to be somewhat misguided. India should be aiming to be a great civilization, rather than a domineering superpower. The record of all the superpowers till now has been quite spotty in humane terms. My vision for …

Project Silverlight: Community Based And Participant-Led Initiatives To Increase Civic Engagement Among Older Adults, Paulin T. Straughan, William Tov, Wensi Lim, Rachel Ngu, Yan Er Tan, Mindy Eiko Tadai

ROSA Research Briefs

Project Silverlight was a year-long project aimed at redefining social engagement and participation of older adults in the community. In this report, we share our findings from the project and key recommendations to community partners who are looking to adopt a similar model of participant-led programs. Our study found that by engaging student volunteers as a key partner in this initiative, participants showed a significant improvement in their perceptions of youth, and that participants derived a great sense of satisfaction from being involved in the curation of their activities.

Respectful Workplace Policy To Conceive A Security Consciousness And Gender Equality As An Implementation Of Akhlak Core Values In State-Owned Enterprises Environment, Endang Susilowati, Erwin Susanto Sadirsan

Journal of Terrorism Studies

A safe work environment, mutual respect, freedom from discrimination, harassment, violence, gender inequality, discrimination of women is highly coveted in the Indonesian work environment. In State-Owned Enterprises there are still issues of harassment, gender inequality, violence, and women's opportunities to become leaders in the workplace. In 2021, the number of women leaders in workplace is still below 10%. The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises is aiming to increase the representation of women in the Board of Commissions or Executives, and one level below the Board of Executives by 25% in 2023.

The purpose of this research is to analyse women's issues …

Power Projection And Counter-Terrorism: Strategies For Small States Like Brunei Darussalam, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Gulshan Bibi Ms

Journal of Terrorism Studies

This study delves into the intricacies of power projection strategies and counter-terrorism measures, emphasizing their relevance to small states, with a specific focus on Brunei Darussalam. Using a dual matrix model, the research categorizes various strategies based on risk-reward parameters, offering a structured insight into potential approaches these states can employ against potential aggressors. The counter-terrorism matrix is the initial focal point, recognizing the contemporary significance of terror threats and their unique challenges for small nations. Subsequently, the power projection matrix offers a broader view of defense tactics beyond counter-terrorism. By synthesizing information from primary academic sources, the study aims …

Challenges Of Ethnic Party Adaptation In Power-Sharing Systems: Evidence From Malaysia, Sebastian Carl Dettman

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In authoritarian systems, ethnic power-sharing arrangements include important ethnic groups in government and decision-making while putting restraints on political competition. However, under conditions of democratization, we might expect power-sharing arrangements to fragment as political parties seize opportunities to expand their base and appeal across ethnic lines. This article draws from the case of Malaysia, where multiethnic coalitions built around ethnic parties ruled for 61 years but where increasing electoral competitiveness has destabilized coalition politics. I focus on the Democratic Action Party (DAP), one of the country's most successful parties, which has sought to build a more multiethnic support base. I …

When Social Status Gets In The Way Of Mating: The Incompatibility Between Social Status And Reproductive Goals In Modern Contexts, Jose C. Yong, Amy J. Y. Lim, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Low fertility is a growing concern in modern societies. While economic and structural explanations of reproductive hindrances have been informative to some extent, they do not address the fundamental motives that underlie reproductive decisions and are inadequate to explain why East Asian countries, in particular, have such low fertility rates. The current paper advances a novel account of low fertility in modern contexts by describing how modern environments produce a mismatch between our evolved mechanisms and the inputs they were designed to process, leading to preoccupations with social status that get in the way of mating and reproductive outcomes. We …

Singapore's Hawker Culture At A Crossroads, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In a commentary, SMU President and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences Lily Kong discussed how Singapore’s hawker culture – which has been a key part of life in Singapore – has developed over the years. She also noted the anxieties over the long-term sustainability of hawker culture, but cited the 2021 National Environment Agency Hawker Perception Survey which offered cause for optimism as the overall experiences of and attitudes towards hawker centres were positive. Prof Kong noted the efforts made in encouraging young Singaporeans to enter the hawker trade and ensure recipes were inherited, but concluded only …

The Theology Of The Liturgical Seasons In The Syro-Malabar Church, Ann Mary Madavanakadu Cmc

Journal of Global Catholicism

This paper focuses on the theology of the liturgical seasons in the Syro-Malabar Church. The liturgical year with its liturgical cycles and seasons, is more than just a mere structural framework for the prayer life of the Church. It is a true locus of rich theology. The liturgical year is defined as the yearly plan of spiritual life by the Church, for her children, arranged in different seasons or periods to celebrate the mysteries of Christ in life together with feasts, fasts, and abstinence in order to make Christian life a successful pilgrimage to heaven for attaining salvation. This article …

Palliyogam: A Vibrant Legacy Of The Syro-Malabar Archiepiscopal Church, Dery Davis

Journal of Global Catholicism

This article explores the historic inheritance of the Palliyogam of the sui iuris Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church, focusing on its role in maintaining synodality in ecclesial life. Palliyogam, a parish assembly, has been the cornerstone of ecclesial communion among Malabar Christians for centuries. As Pope Francis inaugurates the three-year synod on synodality, this study examines how Palliyogam aligns with this synodal vision. The article delves into both the ancient form of Palliyogam and its present-day manifestation, shedding light on their theology and role in governance and decision-making within the Syro-Malabar tradition. The article emphasizes that synodality is already inherent …

The Illusory Infrastructure Of Ink: Machinic Bodies And Epidermic Affects In Singapore, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper advances recent theorisations of the body-as-infrastructure by exploring the premise that there are multiple bodily infrastructures at play at any one time. It focusses on three infrastructural formations – the body, the skin that encases the body, and tattoos as visual inscriptions on the skin – that jostle against each other for representational primacy. The layering of infrastructure-upon-infrastructure leads to understandings of the self that exist in a state of tension with societal norms and the illusions of self-representation. Indeed, it is the intersecting gazes of society and the self that cause these infrastructures to become disaggregated, and …

Lha, Lu, And Shipda: Religious Landscape In A Conservation Area, Luke Stumpfl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Living in a political, cultural, and geographic border region between Nepal and Tibet (People’s Republic of China), the families of Tsum Valley face many demands from their sociopolitical, religious, and economic climate. Practicing Tibetan Buddhism, the people uphold a set of rules implemented by the community with leadership from Serap Dorje Drukpa Rinpoche over 100 years ago that prohibits the intentional murder of all animals. Hailed by leaders and scholars as a haven of biodiversity conservation due to this customary-turned- municipal law, Tsum Valley also exists within Manaslu Conservation Area governed by an entity of the federal government of Nepal …

An Overview Across Three Generational Packages: Pioneer Generation, Merdeka Generation, And Young Seniors, Paulin T. Straughan, Yi Wen Tan, Rachel Ngu, Zidane Tiew, Wensi Lim

ROSA Research Briefs

In Singapore, there has been a concerted effort to implement diverse programs and initiatives to cater to the needs of the ageing demographic. In Singapore, it is expected that those aged 65 and above will make up 27% of the population by 2030 (Soh et al., 2020). It is also crucial to acknowledge that within this ageing population, each cohort follows a distinct life trajectory (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2010). For instance, older generations in Singapore may have navigated through uniqueevents like World War II, profoundly impacting their life trajectories. Meanwhile, newer generations are likely to experience remarkable economic growth alongside …

‘Unbelievable’: Perspectives On The Digital World In Manang, Alex Halaby

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Manang lies one hundred miles northwest of Kathmandu in a valley called Nyeshang. Until a major road was constructed in 2014, the challenge of importing goods in and out of the town slowed the development of digital infrastructures supporting internet use. Consequently, the widespread use of the internet and digital communication is a relatively new phenomenon. Already, its effects are visible in classrooms, health clinics, hotels, and social structures. This paper investigates how Manangis learn about themselves, each other, and the world outside the valley in this new digital space. Emphasis is not placed on quantifications, but rather on the …

If We Were Fiction: Insect-Human Stories, Isabella Delaney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This creative project delves into the nonlinear, interconnected web of insect-human relations in Nepal. Through exploring humans’ perceptions and stories of insects, this work intends to remedy the limits of traditional entomological knowledge, which forgets the ubiquitous reality of insects as more than biological and ecological agents. Insects are social, economic, and ethical “characters” in our lives, and recognizing this opens up possibilities for connection, hope, and evolution in this world. The potential of the mundane, the forgettable, pulses within humans’ unique attitudes toward insects and the forces that shaped them. This potential is represented in the final product of …

Nyeshangpa: The Next Generation’S Search For Identity In Nyeshang, Emerson Brott

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Originally intended to be a report on the Nyeshang Valley and the cultural values that its people hold, Nyeshangpa quickly evolved into something different. Many thanks are given to the village elders who provided valuable insight into Nyeshangpa culture, but the most significant plaudits must go to the film’s main character, Karma Wangyal Gurung, my dear friend and invaluable co-researcher. Though a substantial portion of the film is dedicated to culture talk and general discussion on fading traditions, the spotlight is given to Karma and his fellow Nyeshangpa youth. A story of maintaining traditions is compelling enough, but a story …

Negotiating Identities: The Tibetan’S Experience, Tenzin Yeka

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The fundamental aspect of the Tibetan exilic identity and the competing definition of Tibetaness has long been circulating among the community. It’s a question Tibetans are already asking, that they cannot help but ask, and that therefore deserves an answer. For the first generation of Tibetans, their identity is more profound because of their connection with the geographical home itself. However, for the second generation, having lived and raised outside in the ethnically mixed environment, the idea of Tibet exists in the imagination; though the way in which it is to be imagined is contested by a number of parties. …

Why Do Farmers’ Cooperatives Fail In A Market Economy? Rediscovering Chayanov With The Chinese Experience, Zhanping Hu, Qian Forrest Zhang, John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In The Theory of Peasant Cooperatives, Chayanov develops the theories of differential optima and vertical integration, which stress the vulnerability of peasant farming in capitalist markets, and argues that cooperatives can support smallholders only if they operate as ‘a cooperative movement’, are buttressed by a strong ‘cooperative culture’, and achieve ‘vertical integration’. Based on extensive fieldwork in China, we identify six major obstacles that explain the failure of most cooperatives. Chayanov’s arguments caution us to not only the vital importance of cooperatives to the resilience of peasant farming, but also the apparently insurmountable obstacles that cooperatives face in market economies.

Scaled, Citizen-Led, And Public Qualitative Research: A Framework For Citizen Social Science, Amirah Amirrudin, Nicholas Harrigan, Ijlal Naqvi

Research Collection School Of Economics

We propose a framework for citizen social science that brings together three reinforcing elements of a research project – scale, citizen-leadership, and publicness – to improve qualitative research. Our framework was born out of necessity; a desire to involve ordinary citizens, in researching public issues, with limited funding. We illustrate the application of our framework using insights from research we have led, involving first, a series of qualitative studies of state and civil society organizations working on community engagement by three separate years of public policy students; and second, a qualitative study on the system for processing salary and injury …

The Partial Secularisms Of Singapore's Muslim Minorities: Arbitraging Model Citizenship And (In)Complete Selves At The Margins, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article argues that the secular should be understood as a partial construct that is selectively deployed by individuals to structure everyday encounters with difference. The partiality of the secular is pronounced in Muslim minority contexts, in which Muslims must negotiate varying degrees of ontological incompatibility between their religious and nonreligious selves. How religious and secular understandings of “model” citizenship are negotiated throughout the spaces and aspirations of everyday life can provide insight into the partiality of the secular, and how such partiality can create difference where there might otherwise be unity. We illustrate these ideas through an empirical exploration …

Singapore Resilience Study, Paulin T. Straughan, Grace Cheong, Wensi Lim, Rachel Ngu, Yan Er Tan, Yen Cong Wong

ROSA Research Briefs

This study was conducted in partnership with Income Insurance and ROSA to establish the baseline measurement of resilience in the Singapore population so as to provide the benchmark for future longitudinal studies and render visible the significance of resilience to well-being. In view of the COVID19 pandemic, notable emphasis has been placed on resilience as a vital quality to better prepare our population against future uncertainties and maintain well-being in spite of adversity. Through this study, a set of validated measures were developed to assess resilience levels across the four domains – mental, social, physical and financial resilience. The present …

The Experiences Of Children On Sri Lanka's Tea Plantations: Labor And Sexual Exploitation, Violence, And Inadequate Education, Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Bandaranayake, Glenn M. Miles, Jarrett D. Davis, Madeline Stenersen, Anjum Umrani

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article explores the difficulties faced by children living in Sri Lanka’s tea plantation areas. Data from 150 children reveal high rates of poverty, violence, and school dropout. Children in tea plantation schools report bullying and stigma from teachers and students. Many children do not envision completing school due to inadequate resources, family income pressures, and the need to work. Children who drop out of school face abusive labor conditions and poor pay. Over 30% of all children report experiencing sexual abuse, often in their own homes. Those working face discrimination, physical abuse, and wage theft. Initiatives are needed to …

Public Sentiments And The Influence Of Information-Seeking Preferences On Knowledge, Attitudes, Death Conversation And Receptiveness Towards Palliative Care: Results From A Nationwide Survey In Singapore, Su Lin Yeo, Raymond Han Lip Ng, Tan Ying Peh, May O. Lwin, Poh Heng Chong, Patricia Soek Hui Neo, Jamie Xuelian Zhou, Angel Lee

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Background: Low awareness about palliative care among the global public and healthcare communities has been frequently cited as a persistent barrier to palliative care acceptance. Given that knowledge shapes attitudes and encourages receptiveness, it is critical to examine factors that influence the motivation to increase knowledge. Health information-seeking from individuals and media has been identified as a key factor, as the process of accessing and interpreting information to enhance knowledge has been shown to positively impact health behaviours. Objective: Our study aimed to uncover public sentiments toward palliative care in Singapore. A conceptual framework was additionally developed to investigate the …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding The Links Between Mining, Climate Change And Selected Health Outcomes In India, Mary J. Cheruvillil

Dissertations and Theses

Despite ample evidence of the significant role that mining activities play in determining health outcomes, in India there is a dearth of comprehensive health studies that draw linkages between mining and health. The purpose of the following study is to investigate the impact of mining activities on population health in India using three different methods: ecological multivariable regression, exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and content analysis of government documents using a phenomenological approach. The first aim uses the ecological multivariable regression to examine associations between mining activities and children’s malnutrition outcomes at the district level. Census data, the Demographic Health …

Neighbourhood Satisfaction And Networks Among Older Adults In Singapore, Rachel Ngu, Micah Tan, William Tov

ROSA Research Briefs

The built and social environment surrounding one’s place of residence is an important factor that shapes well-being and quality of life. This is especially so for older adults as their sphere of mobility decreases and their functional capacity may decline as they age, making their immediate environment more vital in shaping their lives. Studies have established the importance and impact of the physical environment on health and well-being of older adults across various communities (Addae-Dapaah 2008; Alidoust and Bosman 2015; Gale et al. 2011; Oswald et al. 2007). A study on older adults in Singapore found that living environment and …

Key Determinants Of Life Satisfaction In Older Adults, Barry Nuqoba, Yi Wen Tan, Yen Cong Wong, Wensi Lim

ROSA Research Briefs

Life satisfaction constitutes a fundamental facet of wellbeing, exerting an influence on an individual's mental and emotional state (Zissi & Barry, 2006). Among older adults, elevated levels of life satisfaction are frequently linked to a more optimistic outlook, contributing to improved health and resilience (Khodabakhsh, 2022; Zheng, Huang, & Fu, 2020). This in turn enhances societal involvement, both in the professional and social domains (Khodabakhsh, 2022). It is also vital to acknowledge that life satisfaction is a multifaceted construct, intricately influenced by an array of external and internal determinants. Life satisfaction is essentially a subjective judgement and assessment of one’s …

3 Groundless Myths That Get In The Way Of Workforce Inclusivity, Kenneth T. Goh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Kenneth Goh discussed and debunked three groundless myths that get in the way of workforce inclusivity. He also called for companies to seek expert advice from relevant agencies and explore partnerships with institutions of higher learning, such as SMU, to pursue inclusivity in a sustainable manner. He added that SMU provides its students opportunities to work with companies and examine the feasibility of their inclusivity initiatives as part of their coursework.

Future-Proofing Healthcare Systems, How Choon How

Asian Management Insights

This includes tackling climate change challenges too.

Young Women In Cities, Yumi Koh, Li Jing, Yifan Wu, Junjian Yi, Hanzhe Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

Young women outnumber young men in cities in many countries during periods of economic growth and urbanization. This gender imbalance among young urbanites is more pronounced in larger cities. We use the gradual rollout of special economic zones across China as a quasi-experiment to establish the causes of this gender imbalance. Our analysis suggests that a key contributor is gender-differential incentives to migrate due to rural women’s higher likelihood of marrying and marrying up in cities when urbanization creates more economic opportunities and an abundance of high-income marriage-age men.