Author Description

Previous Studies of Singapore have focused on its development as a modern city-state, while Beyond The Port City presents a more critical analysis of contemporary development issues, with an emphasis on the state’s organization of economic, social and political space. Drawing parallels with the past, while looking towards the future, this book begins with an analysis of Raffles’ colonial port city, providing the platform for subsequent examination of newly-independent Singapore’s mission to modernize and westernize in the pursuit of progress. Notions of equity, identity and contestation are explored in the context of the PAP government’s highly centralized approach to social organization and political management. The transformation of the economy is examined in the light of its cost to domestic enterprise and dependence upon imported labour, while changing and contrasting attitudes towards heritage conservation are examined through contemporary case studies. It concludes with prescriptive comments on place identity in an era of global integration.