LIVING WITH CIVILISATIONS

Professor Wang Gungwu is the Institute of Policy Studies' 12th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore. This book is an edited collection of his four IPS-Nathan Lectures, delivered from November 2022 to March 2023, and includes highlights of his question-and-answer segments with our audience.

The Southeast Asian region is home to a set of diverse local cultures and distinct local identities. In this lecture series, Professor Wang looks at how great civilisations came into contact with our region and shaped its local identities and cultures. Being at the centre of Southeast Asia, Singapore's national identity and development have also been moulded by great ancient civilisations, namely the Indic, Sinic and Islamic. Later on, the idea of modernity brought about by Christian European civilisation greatly impacted our region. Understanding the history of Singapore from this perspective will give us insight to how the country's modern identity is being shaped and enable us to better understand our region's place in the modern world order.

The IPS-Nathan Lecture series was launched in 2014 as part of the S R Nathan Fellowship for the Study of Singapore, named after Singapore's sixth and longest-serving president. It seeks to advance public understanding and discussion of issues of critical national interest for Singapore.

Contents:

• Foreword
• About the Moderators
• About the Illustrator
• Cultures and Civilisations
• Opening to the Global Maritime
• Enlightened Modern
• Living Civilisations and National Cultures
• Afterword
• Selected Bibliography
• Index

Readership: Readers interested in topics such as culture, history, and identity in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Key Features:

• Living with Civilisations explores the socio-historical evolution of Singapore society admist the rise and fall of cultures and civilisations worldwide
• This unique view of Singapore's history provides a new perspective to how we can see Singapore society. Understanding the history of Singapore from this perspective will give us insight to how the country's modern identity is being shaped and enable us to better understand our region's place in the modern world order