RAISING THE NATION

This engaging collection of essays explores Singapore's multiracial, multireligious, and multilingual experience as a powerful testament of unity amid diversity. While multiracialism embraces pluralism, diversity, and multiple identities, it also requires nurturing shared values, norms, and a cohesive collective identity to manage differences sensitively and effectively. Providing new insights into Singapore's ongoing nation-building journey, the essays reveal how Singaporeans — regardless of race, language, or religion — must continue to develop a unified response to divisive, chauvinistic forces.

Written from an interdisciplinary perspective by a scholar who has studied Singapore's management of race, religion, and language for almost three decades, the book's five thematic sections examine various aspects of race, religion, language, and identity in Singapore. The essays tackle topical issues from the past two decades that remain as relevant today as when they were first published in various media outlets. This collection unveils the challenges and nuances of Singapore's identity politics, law, policies, and institutions, showing how Singapore overcame sectarian divides and embrace unity.

Raising the Nation emphasises the founding constitutional principle that every community is treated equally and supported in differentiated ways. Essential reading for anyone curious about Singapore's raison d'être as an independent, sovereign nation-state, it serves as an indispensable guide to the rich tapestry of identities that define every Singaporean.

Contents:

• Foreword
• Preface & Acknowledgements
• Race, Religion, Language, & National Identity:
  • Introduction: Race, Religion, & Language as Part of Singapore's National Identity
• The Context:
  • Setting the Context: 'We are Going to Have a Multi-racial Nation':
    • The Evolution of Singapore Citizenship
    • Multiracialism as Singapore's Founding Moment and Ethos
    • 'Special Position of the Malays': It's a Shield, not a Sword
    • Shared Identity Would Help Singapore
    • Hyphenates are Here to Stay
    • Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) System Holds Value for Minority Communities
    • Use Our Diversity to Strengthen Social Cohesion
    • PM Lee Hsien Loong has Strengthened Singapore's Unique Brand of Multiracialism
• Regardless of Race ...:
  • Race: A Potent Source of Identity:
    • Return the GRC Scheme to Its Roots
    • Voters' Choice: Breaking the Gridlock of Race and Gender
    • The Fault Line of Values
    • Sleepwalking to Disharmony?
    • Celebrate, Don't Fear, Diversity
    • Do Away with Race-Based Annual Academic Data
    • Closed Vote not the Only Way to Ensure Minority EP
    • Reserved Election: Boost for Multiracialism?
    • Navigating the New Terrain of a Reserved Election
    • Singapore's First Reserved Presidential Election: More Haste, Less Speed, and a Missed Opportunity?
• Regardless of Religion ...:
  • Religion: In the World's Most Religiously Diverse Society:
    • The Role of the State in Religious Freedom and Social Harmony in Singapore
    • AWARE Must Stay Secular
    • Fault Lines in Our 'Garden of Eden State'
    • Cherishing and Respecting Diversity
    • Religion Still Matters
    • Keeping God in Place
    • Section 377A and a New Modus Vivendi
    • Doing the Right Thing for All While Managing Pace of Social Change
    • When Violent Extremism Needs a Measured Response
    • Dealing with the Long-Term Scourge of Terrorism
    • Why 9/11 Matters to Singapore
    • Tackling Singapore's Terrorism Threat: Bringing the People Back in
    • Freedom from Fear in the City of Light
    • Overcoming Fear of the 'Other'
    • Myanmar's Desperate Need to Escape Clutches of Fear
• Regardless of Language ...:
  • Language & Culture: Stirring Strong Emotions:
    • Mother Tongue: A Hot Button Issue
    • Mother Tongue Languages at a Crossroads
    • Singlish — A Uniquely Singaporean Threat?
    • The Complex Language Environment in Singapore
    • A Tale of Two Chinese Cultural Centres
    • Leveraging on Familial Ties and Familiar Cultural Context to Enhance Appreciation of Chinese Language and Culture
    • National Interests and the Chinese-Singaporean Culture and Identity
• Singaporean National Identity & Consciousness:
  • National Identity & Consciousness: Who Are We?:
    • Defining Singapore, through Ideals, Values
    • Avoiding Trade-Offs in the Singapore Together Movement
    • Remembering Our Founding Fathers
    • How Should We Honour Our Pioneers Properly?
    • Mr Lee's Lasting Legacy: A S'pore that Continues to Thrive
    • Sun Yat Sen, a S'pore Icon? Hardly
    • Bicentennial Commemoration Has to Be More Than Just an Anniversary
    • 50 Years On, S'pore's National Service is Now a Shared Legacy
    • The S'pore Spirit is What Will Keep Us Thriving
    • NDR 2021 is a Timely and Needed Address on What Defines Singapore
• About the Author

Readership: Students and researchers of public policy, Singapore studies, and ethnic conflict regulation; public sector officers; and general readers interested in Singapore's multiracialism, ethnic politics, public policy issues, and current affairs.